(2124,1,'2011-11-10 22:26:30','2011-11-11 06:26:30','Nancy Murphy, Dallas Willard, Jurgen Moltmann, Miroslav Volf, Walter Brueggemann, John Caputo, Stanley Hauerwas. In the past decade the Emergent Village Theological Conversation has been held with the world’s foremost theologians, bringing robust conversation alongside the practice of ministry and the work of the church.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2110\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"133\" caption=\"Monica A. Coleman\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/coleman_1-150x150.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-2110\" title=\"coleman_1-150x150\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/coleman_1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"133\" height=\"133\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2111\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"133\" caption=\"John B. Cobb\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/johncobbforpage256-150x150.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-2111\" title=\"johncobbforpage256-150x150\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/johncobbforpage256-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"133\" height=\"133\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2112\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"133\" caption=\"Philip Clayton\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Philip-Clayton-150x150.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-2112 \" title=\"Philip-Clayton-150x150\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Philip-Clayton-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"133\" height=\"133\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis year, we are thrilled to partner with the Claremont School of Theology and Process and Faith to add to that list process theologians John Cobb, Philip Clayton, and others. We will engage and explore the dynamic conception of the living and life-giving God and it is our belief that a progressive, missional, holistic, and radically relational theology with legs will emerge. As always, we will partner these theologians with on-the-ground pastors and practitioners to ensure a fruitful and helpful dialogue for those of us in the trenches.\r\n\r\nCobb has proclaimed that the church should “join God in working for the salvation of the world.” This strong assertion flows right out of the open and relational vision of theology he has pioneered throughout his career. It is our belief that in conversation with Cobb a progressive, missional, holistic, and radically relational theology with legs will emerge.\r\n\r\nAfter setting the context with an introduction to process theology we will immediately turn towards the biggest challenges facing the world, making those essential conversations for all creation the location for doing theology. Through practical engagements of Process and Emergence we will reflect on how God relates to the world, works within the world, and do what all theology is suppose to be doing: seeking to engage and transform the world as it exists in reality. This will take us into ecology, economics, religious pluralism, secularism, and the relational ramifications for the Church both locally and globally.\r\n\r\nCome join us in Claremont California, January 30- February 2, 2012 for the conversation.\r\n\r\n<strong>Partners</strong>: This event is sponsored by the <a href=\"http://www.emergentvillage.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emergent Village</a> &amp; hosted at <a href=\"http://cst.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Claremont School of Theology</a> in partnership with <a href=\"http://processandfaith.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Process &amp; Faith</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Hotel</strong>: Our event hotel is the <a href=\"http://www.myhotelclaremont.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Hotel Claremont</a>. They are giving our participants a special deal with rooms for 59 – 69 bucks a night for bed, breakfast, and a shuttle to the campus. Just let Steven Mercado know you are part of the ‘emergent village’ when reserving your room. Email him: reservations@myhotelclaremont.com\r\n\r\nAs always, SPACE IS LIMITED. You won’t want to miss this conversation, so register soon!\r\n\r\nClick <a href=\"http://www.processtheology.org/theological-coversation-registration/\" target=\"_blank\">HERE</a> to register.\r\n\r\nWhen:\r\nJan 30 – Feb 2, 2012\r\n\r\nWhere:\r\nClaremont School of Theology\r\n1325 N. College Ave.\r\nClaremont, CA 91711\r\n<a href=\"http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Claremont+School+of+Theology,+1325+North+College+Avenue,+Claremont,+CA&amp;hl=en&amp;ll=34.113759,-117.712154&amp;spn=0.02345,0.045447&amp;sll=34.1081,-117.716081&amp;sspn=0.023452,0.045447&amp;vpsrc=6&amp;hq=Claremont+School+of+Theology,+1325+North+College+Avenue,+Claremont,+CA&amp;t=m&amp;z=15&amp;iwloc=A\" target=\"_blank\">Map</a>\r\n\r\nPrice:\r\n$99 until 12/31/11\r\n$119 after that','2012 Emergent Village Theological Conversation','','inherit','open','open','','2108-revision-11','','','2011-11-10 22:26:30','2011-11-11 06:26:30','',2108,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/10/2108-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(2125,48,'2011-11-11 07:55:57','2011-11-11 15:55:57','There comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one has to ask oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, boredom, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this temporal one on earth, it can sometimes be a struggle to find a true purpose and  meaning in our day to day lives. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, all while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and the absurdity of life is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that many credit its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sarter, and Nietzshe. However, as I read through Ecclesiastes, I find a much earlier man in the throes of existential despair: Solomon.\n\nFrom the very beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon decrying the vanity of it all, declaring,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He finds it offensive that a man diligently develop his life\'s work, but it will profit him none; he will pass away and another will take his place, and no one will remember him: <strong>\"</strong>There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after\" (1:11). Furthermore, neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”?  It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time” (Ecclesiastes 1: 9,10). In fact, Solomon, goes on to say that wisdom, pleasure, riches and treasures, skills, popularity, and youth are all utterly meaningless. Solomon, a king with power and riches, who could probably have whatever he desired, struggled to find any meaning in his life.\n\nBut wait, it gets better.\n\nNot only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; He who takes and oath as he who fears an oath (9:2). Solomon\'s further complaints are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd. The Absurd is the idea that there is no meaning to be found in the world beyond what meaning we give to it, and it contains the further idea that the world operates in contrast to the karmic way of thinking that bad things don\'t happen to good people. Rather, \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). It shouldn\'t surprise us that people struggle with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), for even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our goodness (or lack there of) can be meaningful, if it seems makes no difference here on earth?\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While our time here on earth is transient and it may may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven who will bring all things into account.\n\nAt first glance, the entirety of Ecclesiastes may seem pretty depressing. Solomon tells us to enjoy the pleasures we have, don\'t work too hard or too little, bad things happen to the good and good things happen to the bad, we all die, and <em>eventually</em> God will bring everything into judgment. But I find comfort in Ecclesiastes being included in the Bible for many reasons. First of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle. Secondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. That can mean seeking for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure-seeking and adventure-seeking and finding that they bring you no happiness. Or what if you seek meaning from your job or vocation? You may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, you may realize that, no matter how much you excel at what you do, chances are that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then?\n\nEventually Solomon comes back to God, and while his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something inchangeable and incorporeal: God. We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and i.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-11','','','2011-11-11 07:55:57','2011-11-11 15:55:57','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(2126,48,'2011-11-11 08:47:14','2011-11-11 16:47:14','There comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one has to ask oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this temporal one on earth, it can sometimes be a struggle to find a true purpose and  meaning in our day to day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home-mother picking up toys for the thirtieth time today or a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, all while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and the absurdity of life is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sarter, and Nietzshe. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE; Solomon\'s stuggle for meaning in Ecclesiastes could surely be seen as a how-to handbook on existential despair.\n\nFrom the very beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon decrying the vanity of it all, declaring,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He finds it offensive that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work, but it will profit him none; he will pass away and another will take his place, and no one will remember him: <strong>\"</strong>There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after\" (1:11). Furthermore, neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1: 9). In fact, Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value. And pleasure, riches and treasures, skills, popularity, and youth? These too are all utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better.\n\nNot only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All things come alike to all: one event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes and oath as he who fears an oath\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaints that there is no reason or meaning behind who suffers and does not, who prospers and does not, and those who are righteous or not are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any. This is in contrast  to the karmic equation that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Rather, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), take heart!  Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be meaningful, if it seemingly makes no difference to what happens to us here on earth.\n\nAt first glance, the Book of Ecclesiastes may seem pretty depressing. Solomon tells us to enjoy the pleasures we have, don\'t work too hard or too little, bad things happen to the good and good things happen to the bad, we all die, and <em>eventually</em> God will bring everything into judgment. But I find comfort in Ecclesiastes being included in the Bible for many reasons. First of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle. Secondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. That can mean seeking for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure-seeking and adventure-seeking and finding that they bring you no happiness. Or what if you seek meaning from your job or vocation? You may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, you may realize that, no matter how much you excel at what you do, chances are that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then?\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something inchangeable and incorporeal: God. We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhile our time here on earth is transient and it may may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.\n\nEventually Solomon comes back to God, and w\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-12','','','2011-11-11 08:47:14','2011-11-11 16:47:14','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(2128,48,'2011-11-11 08:58:41','2011-11-11 16:58:41','There comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one has to ask oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this temporal one on earth, it can sometimes be a struggle to find a true purpose and  meaning in our day to day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home-mother picking up toys for the thirtieth time today,a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, all while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and the absurdity of life is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sarter, and Nietzshe. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle found in writings from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. As I read through Ecclesiastes, I find Solomon\'s stuggle for meaning as almost a how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nFrom the very beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon decrying the vanity of it all, declaring,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He finds it offensive that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work, but it will profit him none; he will pass away and another will take his place, and no one will remember him: <strong>\"</strong>There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after\" (1:11). Furthermore, neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1: 9). In fact, Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value. And pleasure, riches and treasures, skills, popularity, and youth? These too are all utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better.\n\nNot only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All things come alike to all: one event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes and oath as he who fears an oath\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaints that there is no reason or meaning behind who suffers and does not, who prospers and does not, and those who are righteous or not are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any. This is in contrast  to the karmic equation that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Rather, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), take heart!  Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be meaningful, if it seemingly makes no difference to what happens to us here on earth.\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something inchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-14','','','2011-11-11 08:58:41','2011-11-11 16:58:41','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(2127,48,'2011-11-11 08:52:40','2011-11-11 16:52:40','There comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one has to ask oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this temporal one on earth, it can sometimes be a struggle to find a true purpose and  meaning in our day to day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home-mother picking up toys for the thirtieth time today,a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, all while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and the absurdity of life is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sarter, and Nietzshe. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle found in writings from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. As I read through Ecclesiastes, I find Solomon\'s stuggle for meaning as almost a how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nFrom the very beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon decrying the vanity of it all, declaring,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He finds it offensive that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work, but it will profit him none; he will pass away and another will take his place, and no one will remember him: <strong>\"</strong>There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after\" (1:11). Furthermore, neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1: 9). In fact, Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value. And pleasure, riches and treasures, skills, popularity, and youth? These too are all utterly meaningless.\n\nAt first glance, the Book of Ecclesiastes may seem pretty depressing. Solomon tells us to enjoy the pleasures we have, don\'t work too hard or too little, bad things happen to the good and good things happen to the bad, we all die, and e<em>ventually</em> God will bring everything into judgment. But I find comfort in Ecclesiastes being included in the Bible for many reasons. First of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle. Secondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. That can mean seeking for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure-seeking and adventure-seeking and finding that they bring you no happiness. Or what if you seek meaning from your job or vocation? You may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, you may realize that, no matter how much you excel at what you do, chances are that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then?\n\nBut wait, it gets better.\n\nNot only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All things come alike to all: one event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes and oath as he who fears an oath\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaints that there is no reason or meaning behind who suffers and does not, who prospers and does not, and those who are righteous or not are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any. This is in contrast  to the karmic equation that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Rather, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), take heart!  Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be meaningful, if it seemingly makes no difference to what happens to us here on earth.\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something inchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-13','','','2011-11-11 08:52:40','2011-11-11 16:52:40','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(2129,48,'2011-11-11 09:04:05','2011-11-11 17:04:05','There comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one has to ask oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this temporal one on earth, it can sometimes be a struggle to find a true purpose and  meaning in our day to day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home-mother picking up toys for the thirtieth time today,a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, all while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and the absurdity of life is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sarter, and Nietzshe. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle found in writings from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. As I read through Ecclesiastes, I find Solomon\'s stuggle for meaning as almost a how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nFrom the very beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon decrying the vanity of it all, declaring,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He finds it offensive that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work, but it will profit him none; he will pass away and another will take his place, and no one will remember him: <strong>\"</strong>There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after\" (1:11). Furthermore, neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1: 9). In fact, Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value. And pleasure, riches and treasures, skills, popularity, and youth? These too are all utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All things come alike to all: one event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes and oath as he who fears an oath\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaints that there is no reason or meaning behind who suffers and does not, who prospers and does not, and those who are righteous or not are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any. This is in contrast  to the karmic equation that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Rather, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), take heart!  Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be meaningful, if it seemingly makes no difference to what happens to us here on earth.\n\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes.\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.\n\nSolomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure, eventually you will find that they do not have eternal significance nor do they bring true happiness. If you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? We need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even in what we perceive to be our calling or vocation. These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, but in the end, they should not be the source of meaning for our lives.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something inchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-15','','','2011-11-11 09:04:05','2011-11-11 17:04:05','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(2149,1,'2011-11-11 11:30:40','2011-11-11 19:30:40','','Joe-Paterno','','inherit','open','open','','joe-paterno','','','2011-11-11 11:30:40','2011-11-11 19:30:40','',2133,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Joe-Paterno.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2130,48,'2011-11-11 09:07:46','2011-11-11 17:07:46','There comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one has to ask oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this temporal one on earth, it can sometimes be a struggle to find a true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home-mother picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, all while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and the absurdity of life is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle found in writings from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. As I read through Ecclesiastes, I find Solomon\'s struggle for meaning as almost a how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nFrom the beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon decrying the vanity of it all, declaring,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He finds it offensive that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work, but it will profit him none; he will pass away and another will take his place, and no one will remember him: <strong>\"</strong>There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after\" (1:11). Furthermore, neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1: 9). In fact, Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value. And pleasure, riches and treasures, skills, popularity, and youth? These too are all utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All things come alike to all: one event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes and oath as he who fears an oath\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaints that there is no reason or meaning behind who suffers and does not, who prospers and does not, and those who are righteous or not are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any. This is in contrast  to the karmic equation that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Rather, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), take heart!  Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it seemingly makes no difference to what happens to us here on earth.\n\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.\n\nSecondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure, eventually you will find that they do not have eternal significance nor do they bring true happiness. If you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? We need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even in what we perceive to be our calling or vocation. These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, but in the end, they should not be the source of meaning for our lives.\n\nLastly,\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-16','','','2011-11-11 09:07:46','2011-11-11 17:07:46','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(2131,48,'2011-11-11 09:07:55','2011-11-11 17:07:55','There comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one has to ask oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this temporal one on earth, it can sometimes be a struggle to find a true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home-mother picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, all while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and the absurdity of life is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle found in writings from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. As I read through Ecclesiastes, I find Solomon\'s struggle for meaning as almost a how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\r\n\r\nFrom the beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon decrying the vanity of it all, declaring,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He finds it offensive that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work, but it will profit him none; he will pass away and another will take his place, and no one will remember him: <strong>\"</strong>There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after\" (1:11). Furthermore, neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1: 9). In fact, Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value. And pleasure, riches and treasures, skills, popularity, and youth? These too are all utterly meaningless.\r\n\r\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All things come alike to all: one event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes and oath as he who fears an oath\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaints that there is no reason or meaning behind who suffers and does not, who prospers and does not, and those who are righteous or not are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any. This is in contrast  to the karmic equation that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Rather, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), take heart!  Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it seemingly makes no difference to what happens to us here on earth.\r\n\r\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.\r\n\r\nSecondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure, eventually you will find that they do not have eternal significance nor do they bring true happiness. If you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? We need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even in what we perceive to be our calling or vocation. These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, but in the end, they should not be the source of meaning for our lives.\r\n\r\nLastly,\r\n\r\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-17','','','2011-11-11 09:07:55','2011-11-11 17:07:55','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(2133,73,'2011-11-11 11:35:12','2011-11-11 19:35:12','Pennsylvania is reeling under the daily waves of allegations, reports and aftershocks of a decades-long child molestation cover up at Penn State University. Check that: the <em>nation</em> is preoccupied with the news of every parent\'s nightmare. Listening to sports radio, I\'ve been impressed with the caliber of comments from regular Joe\'s who have no patience for the horror of the acts or the cover up by officials. I\'m also reminded of the value of conversation in dealing with major crises, the crazy history of riots in our country and the intolerance we have as a common voice for inexcusable acts against the weakest members of our society.\r\n\r\nPenn State has, until this month, enjoyed over a century as King of the Hill in terms of well known and well attended institutions of higher learning. The main campus in State College, PA is a leafy, rolling landscape populated by the freshness of youth and decades of academic professionalism. Penn State also enjoys a sort of BMOC reputation for its football program; there is, in most of Pennsylvania, the \"cult of Penn State,\" which prides itself on winning seasons, NFL players and the winningest coach in college ball.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Joe-Paterno.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2149\" title=\"Joe-Paterno\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Joe-Paterno.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"169\" /></a>When we heard the news that vaunted Penn State, and Saint Joe Paterno (aka JoePa) had a disturbing skeleton in its closet that spanned years and subjected 10 year old boys to unspeakable crimes, the nation gasped, the echoes of which are still being heard. As we struggle to understand how something like this could have happened, how grown men could act with such abhorrence, we watch the cult crumble. The Ohio State scandal regarding tattoos for memorabilia seems positively quaint when parked next to the grim scene in Happy Valley. Oregon Ducks playing fast and loose with payments to a shady “scout?” Small potatoes.\r\n\r\nIs anyone surprised anymore? I want to say, “No. Nothing surprises me.” The cult of PSU is under the umbrella of the cult of college sports, specifically college football, a huge money maker for institutions. Players seem like nothing more than prostitutes putting out for the pimps in power, who sit in their proverbial ivory towers counting the cash pouring in.\r\n\r\nI can almost understand taking money from boosters, or accepting dinners from fans. No one gets hurt, student-athletes live on college incomes just like other students. It’s almost <em>de riguer</em> for marquee athletes to be given extras their bench-warming buddies aren’t afforded. At the very most, it’s against the rules.\r\n\r\nAs the shock recedes, we recover our reason. We understand that those we revered are just like anyone; complicated, insecure, careless, selfish, thoughtless. Our heroes are not, in fact, perfect. We must reconcile what we expected from these public personas with what they delivered in private, and find disappointment.\r\n\r\nI wonder if we are in part to blame. Football fans demand good games, strong schedules, high winning percentages. Gamblers expect to cover the spread. Entire weekends are devoted to celebrating a group of young men clashing on the field...for what? Bragging rights. Nothing more. Nothing less. We put them on that pedestal. Are we surprised when it crumbles under the weight of our impossible demands?\r\n\r\nBut this? This is beyond disgusting. More than heart wrenching. Harder than a kick in the gut. We have questions that demand answers.  How could this happen? How could THEY let this happen? And what now? How do we show Penn State pride when we are sickened? How do we recover? How do we help the children?\r\n\r\nSports radio is usually an entertaining arm of the entertainment megaplex that is American sport. Undereducated homers are offered the opportunity to call in and with horrible grammar and syntax explain why their “team’s gonna kick your team’s ass.” But in the last two weeks, sports radio has been like one giant shrink’s sofa, where we can carry the weight of our hurt for these children and feel connected to others in our outrage. I have heard very few people coming to the defense of these men and their acts of abuse or acts of omission.\r\n\r\nI am heartened; if we can’t agree on the BCS or the relative merits of the SEC, then at least we can agree that every single act of molestation that happened on that campus was wrong. And furthermore, that those in charge need to be held responsible, at the cost of their jobs, and for some of them, their freedom.\r\n\r\nThe only voice of dissent came from the students, in a grotesque caricature of sports at their worst. The students who rioted in State College reveal further the darkness in the cult of sport. They showed, in their violence, a refusal to demand justice, a lack of understanding, a pleasure seeking impulse that is difficult to understand. Rioting over racial or political injustice? Fine. Rioting to show support for a coach, in light of clear-as-day evidence? The mother in me shakes my head: They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Their behavior was inexcusable.\r\n\r\nPerhaps their role models, the ones they rioted to support, have taught them something; they are the truly inexcusable. In the end, as time passes, the public can focus our outrage onto the next football scandal. Make no mistake: there will be another football scandal. But as we do, we leave behind these children who were raped and abused at the hands of men in power. Young, trusting boys told the truth and for their troubles received the cold shoulder of feigned ignorance. We can shake our fists at the next trouble, whereas these children, some now young adults, live with the agony of their victimization.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Happy Valley Under a Cloud','','publish','open','open','','happy-valley-under-a-cloud','','','2011-11-11 11:35:12','2011-11-11 19:35:12','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2133',0,'post','',3),(2134,48,'2011-11-11 09:09:52','2011-11-11 17:09:52','There comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one has to ask oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this temporal one on earth, it can sometimes be a struggle to find a true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home-mother picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, all while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and the absurdity of life is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle found in writings from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. As I read through Ecclesiastes, I find Solomon\'s struggle for meaning as almost a how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nFrom the beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon decrying the vanity of it all, declaring,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He finds it offensive that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work, but it will profit him none; he will pass away and another will take his place, and no one will remember him: <strong>\"</strong>There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after\" (1:11). Furthermore, neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1: 9). In fact, Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value. And pleasure, riches and treasures, skills, popularity, and youth? These too are all utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All things come alike to all: one event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes and oath as he who fears an oath\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaints that there is no reason or meaning behind who suffers and does not, who prospers and does not, and those who are righteous or not are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any. This is in contrast  to the karmic equation that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Rather, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), take heart!  Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it seemingly makes no difference to what happens to us here on earth.\n\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.\n\nSecondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure, eventually you will find that they do not have eternal significance nor do they bring true happiness. If you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? We need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even in what we perceive to be our calling or vocation. These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, but in the end, they should not be the source of meaning for our lives.\n\nLastly,\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-18','','','2011-11-11 09:09:52','2011-11-11 17:09:52','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(2135,73,'2011-11-11 09:43:56','2011-11-11 17:43:56','Pennsylvania is reeling under the daily waves of allegations, reports and aftershocks of a decades long child-molestation cover up at Penn State University. Check that: the nation is preoccupied with the news of every parent\'s nightmare. Listening to sports radio, I\'ve been impressed with the caliber of comments from regular joe\'s who have no patience for the horror of the acts or the cover up by officials. I\'m also reminded of the value of conversation in dealing with major crises, the crazy history of riots in our country and the intolerance we have as a common voice for inexcusable acts against the weakest members of our society.\n\nPenn State has, until this month, enjoyed over a century as King of the Hill in terms of well known and well attended institutions of higher learning. The main campus in State College, PA is a leafy, rolling landscape populated by the freshness of youth and decades of academic professionalism. Penn State also enjoys a sort of BMOC repuatation for its football program; there is, in most of Pennsylvania, the \"cult of Penn State,\" which prides itself on winning seasons, NFL players and the winningest coach in college ball.\n\nWhen we heard the news that vaunted Penn State, and Saint Joe Paterno (aka JoePa) had a disturbing skeleton in its closet that spanned years and subjected 10 year old boys to unspeakable crimes, the nation gasped, the echoes of which are still being heard. As we struggle to understand how something like this could have happened, how grown men could act with such abhorrence, we watch the cult crumble. The Ohio State scandal regarding tattoos for memorabilia seems positively quaint when parked next to the grim scene in Happy Valley.\n\nAnd we are left with questions. How could this happen? How could THEY let this happen? And what now? How do we show Penn State pride when we are sickened? How do we recover? How do we help the children? As the shock fades, we recover our reason. We understand that those we revered are just like anyone; complicated, insecure, careless, selfish, thoughtless. Our heroes are not, in fact, perfect. We must reconcile what we expected from these public personas with what they delivered in private, and find disappointment.\n\nDay after day, largely thanks to the rise in social media and technology, one scandal after another is revealed for judgment by the public. Just when we seemed to reach the saturation point with Oregon State allegations of improper payment of a \"recruiter,\" this mess is uncovered.','Happy Valley Under a Cloud','','inherit','open','open','','2133-revision','','','2011-11-11 09:43:56','2011-11-11 17:43:56','',2133,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2133-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2136,1,'2011-11-11 11:36:23','2011-11-11 19:36:23','Pennsylvania is reeling under the daily waves of allegations, reports and aftershocks of a decades-long child molestation cover up at Penn State University. Check that: the <em>nation</em> is preoccupied with the news of every parent\'s nightmare. Listening to sports radio, I\'ve been impressed with the caliber of comments from regular Joe\'s who have no patience for the horror of the acts or the cover up by officials. I\'m also reminded of the value of conversation in dealing with major crises, the crazy history of riots in our country and the intolerance we have as a common voice for inexcusable acts against the weakest members of our society.\n\nPenn State has, until this month, enjoyed over a century as King of the Hill in terms of well known and well attended institutions of higher learning. The main campus in State College, PA is a leafy, rolling landscape populated by the freshness of youth and decades of academic professionalism. Penn State also enjoys a sort of BMOC reputation for its football program; there is, in most of Pennsylvania, the \"cult of Penn State,\" which prides itself on winning seasons, NFL players and the winningest coach in college ball.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Joe-Paterno.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2149\" title=\"Joe-Paterno\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Joe-Paterno.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"169\" /></a>When we heard the news that vaunted Penn State, and Saint Joe Paterno (aka JoePa) had a disturbing skeleton in its closet that spanned years and subjected 10 year old boys to unspeakable crimes, the nation gasped, the echoes of which are still being heard. As we struggle to understand how something like this could have happened, how grown men could act with such abhorrence, we watch the cult crumble. The Ohio State scandal regarding tattoos for memorabilia seems positively quaint when parked next to the grim scene in Happy Valley. Oregon Ducks playing fast and loose with payments to a shady “scout?” Small potatoes.\n\nIs anyone surprised anymore? I want to say, “No. Nothing surprises me.” The cult of PSU is under the umbrella of the cult of college sports, specifically college football, a huge money maker for institutions. Players seem like nothing more than prostitutes putting out for the pimps in power, who sit in their proverbial ivory towers counting the cash pouring in.\n\nI can almost understand taking money from boosters, or accepting dinners from fans. No one gets hurt, student-athletes live on college incomes just like other students. It’s almost <em>de riguer</em> for marquee athletes to be given extras their bench-warming buddies aren’t afforded. At the very most, it’s against the rules.\n\nAs the shock recedes, we recover our reason. We understand that those we revered are just like anyone; complicated, insecure, careless, selfish, thoughtless. Our heroes are not, in fact, perfect. We must reconcile what we expected from these public personas with what they delivered in private, and find disappointment.\n\nI wonder if we are in part to blame. Football fans demand good games, strong schedules, high winning percentages. Gamblers expect to cover the spread. Entire weekends are devoted to celebrating a group of young men clashing on the field...for what? Bragging rights. Nothing more. Nothing less. We put them on that pedestal. Are we surprised when it crumbles under the weight of our impossible demands?\n\nBut this? This is beyond disgusting. More than heart wrenching. Harder than a kick in the gut. We have questions that demand answers.  How could this happen? How could THEY let this happen? And what now? How do we show Penn State pride when we are sickened? How do we recover? How do we help the children?\n\nSports radio is usually an entertaining arm of the entertainment megaplex that is American sport. Undereducated homers are offered the opportunity to call in and with horrible grammar and syntax explain why their “team’s gonna kick your team’s ass.” But in the last two weeks, sports radio has been like one giant shrink’s sofa, where we can carry the weight of our hurt for these children and feel connected to others in our outrage. I have heard very few people coming to the defense of these men and their acts of abuse or acts of omission.\n\nI am heartened; if we can’t agree on the BCS or the relative merits of the SEC, then at least we can agree that every single act of molestation that happened on that campus was wrong. And furthermore, that those in charge need to be held responsible, at the cost of their jobs, and for some of them, their freedom.\n\nThe only voice of dissent came from the students, in a grotesque caricature of sports at their worst. The students who rioted in State College reveal further the darkness in the cult of sport. They showed, in their violence, a refusal to demand justice, a lack of understanding, a pleasure seeking impulse that is difficult to understand. Rioting over racial or political injustice? Fine. Rioting to show support for a coach, in light of clear-as-day evidence? The mother in me shakes my head: They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Their behavior was inexcusable.\n\nPerhaps their role models, the ones they rioted to support, have taught them something; they are the truly inexcusable. In the end, as time passes, the public can focus our outrage onto the next football scandal. Make no mistake: there will be another football scandal. But as we do, we leave behind these children who were raped and abused at the hands of men in power. Young, trusting boys told the truth and for their troubles received the cold shoulder of feigned ignorance. We can shake our fists at the next trouble, whereas these children, some now young adults, live with the agony of their victimization.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Happy Valley Under a Cloud','','inherit','open','open','','2133-autosave','','','2011-11-11 11:36:23','2011-11-11 19:36:23','',2133,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2133-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2137,73,'2011-11-11 10:32:39','2011-11-11 18:32:39','Pennsylvania is reeling under the daily waves of allegations, reports and aftershocks of a decades-long child molestation cover up at Penn State University. Check that: the <em>nation</em> is preoccupied with the news of every parent\'s nightmare. Listening to sports radio, I\'ve been impressed with the caliber of comments from regular joe\'s who have no patience for the horror of the acts or the cover up by officials. I\'m also reminded of the value of conversation in dealing with major crises, the crazy history of riots in our country and the intolerance we have as a common voice for inexcusable acts against the weakest members of our society.\r\n\r\nPenn State has, until this month, enjoyed over a century as King of the Hill in terms of well known and well attended institutions of higher learning. The main campus in State College, PA is a leafy, rolling landscape populated by the freshness of youth and decades of academic professionalism. Penn State also enjoys a sort of BMOC reputation for its football program; there is, in most of Pennsylvania, the \"cult of Penn State,\" which prides itself on winning seasons, NFL players and the winningest coach in college ball.\r\n\r\nWhen we heard the news that vaunted Penn State, and Saint Joe Paterno (aka JoePa) had a disturbing skeleton in its closet that spanned years and subjected 10 year old boys to unspeakable crimes, the nation gasped, the echoes of which are still being heard. As we struggle to understand how something like this could have happened, how grown men could act with such abhorrence, we watch the cult crumble. The Ohio State scandal regarding tattoos for memorabilia seems positively quaint when parked next to the grim scene in Happy Valley. Oregon Ducks playing fast and loose with payments to a shady “scout?” Small potatoes.\r\n\r\nIs anyone surprised anymore? I want to say, “No. Nothing surprises me.” The cult of PSU is under the umbrella of the cult of college sports, specifically college football, a huge money maker for institutions. Players seem like nothing more than prostitutes putting out for the pimps in power, who sit in their proverbial ivory towers counting the cash pouring in.\r\n\r\nI can almost understand taking money from boosters, or accepting dinners from fans. No one gets hurt, student-athletes live on college incomes just like other students. It’s almost <em>de riguer</em> for marquee athletes to be given extras their bench-warming buddies aren’t afforded. At the very most, it’s against the rules.\r\n\r\nAs the shock recedes, we recover our reason. We understand that those we revered are just like anyone; complicated, insecure, careless, selfish, thoughtless. Our heroes are not, in fact, perfect. We must reconcile what we expected from these public personas with what they delivered in private, and find disappointment.\r\n\r\nI wonder if we are in part to blame. Football fans demand good games, strong schedules, high winning percentages. Gamblers expect to cover the spread. Entire weekends are devoted to celebrating a group of young men clashing on the field...for what? Bragging rights. Nothing more. Nothing less. We put them on that pedestal. Are we surprised when it crumbles under the weight of our impossible demands?\r\n\r\nBut this? This is beyond disgusting. More than heart wrenching. Harder than a kick in the gut. We have questions that demand answers.  How could this happen? How could THEY let this happen? And what now? How do we show Penn State pride when we are sickened? How do we recover? How do we help the children?\r\n\r\nSports radio is usually an entertaining arm of the entertainment megaplex that is American sport. Undereducated homers are offered the opportunity to call in and with horrible grammar and syntax explain why their “team’s gonna kick your team’s ass.” But in the last two weeks, sports radio has been like one giant shrink’s sofa, where we can carry the weight of our hurt for these children and feel connected to others in our outrage. I have heard very few people coming to the defense of these men and their acts of abuse or acts of omission.\r\n\r\nI am heartened; if we can’t agree on the BCS or the relative merits of the SEC, then at least we can agree that every single act of molestation that happened on that campus was wrong. And furthermore, that those in charge need to be held responsible, at the cost of their jobs, and for some of them, their freedom.\r\n\r\nThe only voice of dissent came from the students, in a grotesque caricature of sports at their worst. The students who rioted in State College reveal further the darkness in the cult of sport. They showed, in their violence, a refusal to demand justice, a lack of understanding, a pleasure seeking impulse that is difficult to understand. Rioting over racial or political injustice? Fine. Rioting to show support for a coach, in light of clear-as-day evidence? The mother in me shakes my head: They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Their behavior was inexcusable.\r\n\r\nPerhaps their role models, the ones they rioted to support, have taught them something; they are the truly inexcusable. In the end, as time passes, the public can focus our outrage onto the next football scandal. Make no mistake: there will be another football scandal. But as we do, we leave behind these children who were raped and abused at the hands of men in power. Young, trusting boys told the truth and for their troubles received the cold shoulder of feigned ignorance. We can shake our fists at the next trouble, whereas these children, some now young adults, live with the agony of their victimization.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Happy Valley Under a Cloud','','inherit','open','open','','2133-revision-2','','','2011-11-11 10:32:39','2011-11-11 18:32:39','',2133,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2133-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2138,100,'2011-11-14 12:00:48','2011-11-14 20:00:48','[caption id=\"attachment_2139\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Dr. Carl Bradley\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-2139\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDr. Bradley, is a man of many hats.\r\n\r\nHe\'s an educator, a former school administrator and he’s been a church organist for most of his life.\r\n\r\nHe shares that while he initially felt called “into the ministry” he discovered that “ministry” encompasses so much more than just a 9-5 job at the local church.\r\n\r\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111111.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Dr. Carl Bradley','','publish','open','open','','something-beautiful-dr-carl-bradley','','','2011-11-14 08:31:22','2011-11-14 16:31:22','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2138',0,'post','',0),(2139,100,'2011-11-11 11:19:00','2011-11-11 19:19:00','','carl-bradley-300x400','Dr. Carl Bradley','inherit','open','open','','carl-bradley-300x400','','','2011-11-11 11:19:00','2011-11-11 19:19:00','',2138,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2140,100,'2011-11-11 11:19:40','2011-11-11 19:19:40','[caption id=\"attachment_2139\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Dr. Carl Bradley\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2139\" /></a>[/caption]\nDr. Bradley, is a man of many hats. He\'s an educator, a former school administrator and he’s been a church organist for most of his life. He shares that while he initially felt called “into the ministry” he discovered that “ministry” encompasses so much more than just a 9-5 job at the local church.','Something Beautiful - Dr. Carl Bradley','','inherit','open','open','','2138-revision','','','2011-11-11 11:19:40','2011-11-11 19:19:40','',2138,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2138-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2141,100,'2011-11-11 11:20:32','2011-11-11 19:20:32','[caption id=\"attachment_2139\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Dr. Carl Bradley\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2139\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nDr. Bradley, is a man of many hats. He\'s an educator, a former school administrator and he’s been a church organist for most of his life. He shares that while he initially felt called “into the ministry” he discovered that “ministry” encompasses so much more than just a 9-5 job at the local church.','Something Beautiful - Dr. Carl Bradley','','inherit','open','open','','2138-revision-2','','','2011-11-11 11:20:32','2011-11-11 19:20:32','',2138,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2138-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2142,100,'2011-11-11 11:21:04','2011-11-11 19:21:04','[caption id=\"attachment_2139\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Dr. Carl Bradley\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2139\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nDr. Bradley, is a man of many hats. He\'s an educator, a former school administrator and he’s been a church organist for most of his life. He shares that while he initially felt called “into the ministry” he discovered that “ministry” encompasses so much more than just a 9-5 job at the local church.','Something Beautiful - Dr. Carl Bradley','','inherit','open','open','','2138-revision-3','','','2011-11-11 11:21:04','2011-11-11 19:21:04','',2138,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2138-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2143,100,'2011-11-11 11:21:29','2011-11-11 19:21:29','[caption id=\"attachment_2139\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Dr. Carl Bradley\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2139\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nDr. Bradley, is a man of many hats. He\'s an educator, a former school administrator and he’s been a church organist for most of his life. He shares that while he initially felt called “into the ministry” he discovered that “ministry” encompasses so much more than just a 9-5 job at the local church.\r\n\r\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111111.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Dr. Carl Bradley','','inherit','open','open','','2138-revision-4','','','2011-11-11 11:21:29','2011-11-11 19:21:29','',2138,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2138-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2144,100,'2011-11-11 11:22:08','2011-11-11 19:22:08','[caption id=\"attachment_2139\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Dr. Carl Bradley\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2139\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nDr. Bradley, is a man of many hats. He\'s an educator, a former school administrator and he’s been a church organist for most of his life. He shares that while he initially felt called “into the ministry” he discovered that “ministry” encompasses so much more than just a 9-5 job at the local church.\r\n\r\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111111.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Dr. Carl Bradley','','inherit','open','open','','2138-revision-5','','','2011-11-11 11:22:08','2011-11-11 19:22:08','',2138,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2138-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(2145,100,'2011-11-11 11:22:38','2011-11-11 19:22:38','[caption id=\"attachment_2139\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Dr. Carl Bradley\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2139\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nDr. Bradley, is a man of many hats. \r\n\r\nHe\'s an educator, a former school administrator and he’s been a church organist for most of his life. \r\n\r\nHe shares that while he initially felt called “into the ministry” he discovered that “ministry” encompasses so much more than just a 9-5 job at the local church.\r\n\r\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111111.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Dr. Carl Bradley','','inherit','open','open','','2138-revision-6','','','2011-11-11 11:22:38','2011-11-11 19:22:38','',2138,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2138-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(2146,100,'2011-11-11 11:22:50','2011-11-11 19:22:50','[caption id=\"attachment_2139\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Dr. Carl Bradley\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2139\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nDr. Bradley, is a man of many hats. \r\n\r\nHe\'s an educator, a former school administrator and he’s been a church organist for most of his life. \r\n\r\nHe shares that while he initially felt called “into the ministry” he discovered that “ministry” encompasses so much more than just a 9-5 job at the local church.\r\n\r\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111111.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Dr. Carl Bradley','','inherit','open','open','','2138-revision-7','','','2011-11-11 11:22:50','2011-11-11 19:22:50','',2138,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2138-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(2147,1,'2011-11-11 10:47:31','2011-11-11 18:47:31','Pennsylvania is reeling under the daily waves of allegations, reports and aftershocks of a decades-long child molestation cover up at Penn State University. Check that: the <em>nation</em> is preoccupied with the news of every parent\'s nightmare. Listening to sports radio, I\'ve been impressed with the caliber of comments from regular joe\'s who have no patience for the horror of the acts or the cover up by officials. I\'m also reminded of the value of conversation in dealing with major crises, the crazy history of riots in our country and the intolerance we have as a common voice for inexcusable acts against the weakest members of our society.\r\n\r\nPenn State has, until this month, enjoyed over a century as King of the Hill in terms of well known and well attended institutions of higher learning. The main campus in State College, PA is a leafy, rolling landscape populated by the freshness of youth and decades of academic professionalism. Penn State also enjoys a sort of BMOC reputation for its football program; there is, in most of Pennsylvania, the \"cult of Penn State,\" which prides itself on winning seasons, NFL players and the winningest coach in college ball.\r\n\r\nWhen we heard the news that vaunted Penn State, and Saint Joe Paterno (aka JoePa) had a disturbing skeleton in its closet that spanned years and subjected 10 year old boys to unspeakable crimes, the nation gasped, the echoes of which are still being heard. As we struggle to understand how something like this could have happened, how grown men could act with such abhorrence, we watch the cult crumble. The Ohio State scandal regarding tattoos for memorabilia seems positively quaint when parked next to the grim scene in Happy Valley. Oregon Ducks playing fast and loose with payments to a shady “scout?” Small potatoes.\r\n\r\nIs anyone surprised anymore? I want to say, “No. Nothing surprises me.” The cult of PSU is under the umbrella of the cult of college sports, specifically college football, a huge money maker for institutions. Players seem like nothing more than prostitutes putting out for the pimps in power, who sit in their proverbial ivory towers counting the cash pouring in.\r\n\r\nI can almost understand taking money from boosters, or accepting dinners from fans. No one gets hurt, student-athletes live on college incomes just like other students. It’s almost <em>de riguer</em> for marquee athletes to be given extras their bench-warming buddies aren’t afforded. At the very most, it’s against the rules.\r\n\r\nAs the shock recedes, we recover our reason. We understand that those we revered are just like anyone; complicated, insecure, careless, selfish, thoughtless. Our heroes are not, in fact, perfect. We must reconcile what we expected from these public personas with what they delivered in private, and find disappointment.\r\n\r\nI wonder if we are in part to blame. Football fans demand good games, strong schedules, high winning percentages. Gamblers expect to cover the spread. Entire weekends are devoted to celebrating a group of young men clashing on the field...for what? Bragging rights. Nothing more. Nothing less. We put them on that pedestal. Are we surprised when it crumbles under the weight of our impossible demands?\r\n\r\nBut this? This is beyond disgusting. More than heart wrenching. Harder than a kick in the gut. We have questions that demand answers.  How could this happen? How could THEY let this happen? And what now? How do we show Penn State pride when we are sickened? How do we recover? How do we help the children?\r\n\r\nSports radio is usually an entertaining arm of the entertainment megaplex that is American sport. Undereducated homers are offered the opportunity to call in and with horrible grammar and syntax explain why their “team’s gonna kick your team’s ass.” But in the last two weeks, sports radio has been like one giant shrink’s sofa, where we can carry the weight of our hurt for these children and feel connected to others in our outrage. I have heard very few people coming to the defense of these men and their acts of abuse or acts of omission.\r\n\r\nI am heartened; if we can’t agree on the BCS or the relative merits of the SEC, then at least we can agree that every single act of molestation that happened on that campus was wrong. And furthermore, that those in charge need to be held responsible, at the cost of their jobs, and for some of them, their freedom.\r\n\r\nThe only voice of dissent came from the students, in a grotesque caricature of sports at their worst. The students who rioted in State College reveal further the darkness in the cult of sport. They showed, in their violence, a refusal to demand justice, a lack of understanding, a pleasure seeking impulse that is difficult to understand. Rioting over racial or political injustice? Fine. Rioting to show support for a coach, in light of clear-as-day evidence? The mother in me shakes my head: They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Their behavior was inexcusable.\r\n\r\nPerhaps their role models, the ones they rioted to support, have taught them something; they are the truly inexcusable. In the end, as time passes, the public can focus our outrage onto the next football scandal. Make no mistake: there will be another football scandal. But as we do, we leave behind these children who were raped and abused at the hands of men in power. Young, trusting boys told the truth and for their troubles received the cold shoulder of feigned ignorance. We can shake our fists at the next trouble, whereas these children, some now young adults, live with the agony of their victimization.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Happy Valley Under a Cloud','','inherit','open','open','','2133-revision-3','','','2011-11-11 10:47:31','2011-11-11 18:47:31','',2133,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2133-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2148,1,'2011-11-11 11:29:22','2011-11-11 19:29:22','','penn_state','','inherit','open','open','','penn_state','','','2011-11-11 11:29:22','2011-11-11 19:29:22','',2133,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/penn_state.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(2150,1,'2011-11-11 11:23:07','2011-11-11 19:23:07','Pennsylvania is reeling under the daily waves of allegations, reports and aftershocks of a decades-long child molestation cover up at Penn State University. Check that: the <em>nation</em> is preoccupied with the news of every parent\'s nightmare. Listening to sports radio, I\'ve been impressed with the caliber of comments from regular Joe\'s who have no patience for the horror of the acts or the cover up by officials. I\'m also reminded of the value of conversation in dealing with major crises, the crazy history of riots in our country and the intolerance we have as a common voice for inexcusable acts against the weakest members of our society.\r\n\r\nPenn State has, until this month, enjoyed over a century as King of the Hill in terms of well known and well attended institutions of higher learning. The main campus in State College, PA is a leafy, rolling landscape populated by the freshness of youth and decades of academic professionalism. Penn State also enjoys a sort of BMOC reputation for its football program; there is, in most of Pennsylvania, the \"cult of Penn State,\" which prides itself on winning seasons, NFL players and the winningest coach in college ball.\r\n\r\nWhen we heard the news that vaunted Penn State, and Saint Joe Paterno (aka JoePa) had a disturbing skeleton in its closet that spanned years and subjected 10 year old boys to unspeakable crimes, the nation gasped, the echoes of which are still being heard. As we struggle to understand how something like this could have happened, how grown men could act with such abhorrence, we watch the cult crumble. The Ohio State scandal regarding tattoos for memorabilia seems positively quaint when parked next to the grim scene in Happy Valley. Oregon Ducks playing fast and loose with payments to a shady “scout?” Small potatoes.\r\n\r\nIs anyone surprised anymore? I want to say, “No. Nothing surprises me.” The cult of PSU is under the umbrella of the cult of college sports, specifically college football, a huge money maker for institutions. Players seem like nothing more than prostitutes putting out for the pimps in power, who sit in their proverbial ivory towers counting the cash pouring in.\r\n\r\nI can almost understand taking money from boosters, or accepting dinners from fans. No one gets hurt, student-athletes live on college incomes just like other students. It’s almost <em>de riguer</em> for marquee athletes to be given extras their bench-warming buddies aren’t afforded. At the very most, it’s against the rules.\r\n\r\nAs the shock recedes, we recover our reason. We understand that those we revered are just like anyone; complicated, insecure, careless, selfish, thoughtless. Our heroes are not, in fact, perfect. We must reconcile what we expected from these public personas with what they delivered in private, and find disappointment.\r\n\r\nI wonder if we are in part to blame. Football fans demand good games, strong schedules, high winning percentages. Gamblers expect to cover the spread. Entire weekends are devoted to celebrating a group of young men clashing on the field...for what? Bragging rights. Nothing more. Nothing less. We put them on that pedestal. Are we surprised when it crumbles under the weight of our impossible demands?\r\n\r\nBut this? This is beyond disgusting. More than heart wrenching. Harder than a kick in the gut. We have questions that demand answers.  How could this happen? How could THEY let this happen? And what now? How do we show Penn State pride when we are sickened? How do we recover? How do we help the children?\r\n\r\nSports radio is usually an entertaining arm of the entertainment megaplex that is American sport. Undereducated homers are offered the opportunity to call in and with horrible grammar and syntax explain why their “team’s gonna kick your team’s ass.” But in the last two weeks, sports radio has been like one giant shrink’s sofa, where we can carry the weight of our hurt for these children and feel connected to others in our outrage. I have heard very few people coming to the defense of these men and their acts of abuse or acts of omission.\r\n\r\nI am heartened; if we can’t agree on the BCS or the relative merits of the SEC, then at least we can agree that every single act of molestation that happened on that campus was wrong. And furthermore, that those in charge need to be held responsible, at the cost of their jobs, and for some of them, their freedom.\r\n\r\nThe only voice of dissent came from the students, in a grotesque caricature of sports at their worst. The students who rioted in State College reveal further the darkness in the cult of sport. They showed, in their violence, a refusal to demand justice, a lack of understanding, a pleasure seeking impulse that is difficult to understand. Rioting over racial or political injustice? Fine. Rioting to show support for a coach, in light of clear-as-day evidence? The mother in me shakes my head: They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Their behavior was inexcusable.\r\n\r\nPerhaps their role models, the ones they rioted to support, have taught them something; they are the truly inexcusable. In the end, as time passes, the public can focus our outrage onto the next football scandal. Make no mistake: there will be another football scandal. But as we do, we leave behind these children who were raped and abused at the hands of men in power. Young, trusting boys told the truth and for their troubles received the cold shoulder of feigned ignorance. We can shake our fists at the next trouble, whereas these children, some now young adults, live with the agony of their victimization.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Happy Valley Under a Cloud','','inherit','open','open','','2133-revision-4','','','2011-11-11 11:23:07','2011-11-11 19:23:07','',2133,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2133-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2151,48,'2011-11-11 11:32:27','2011-11-11 19:32:27','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, in the midst of despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, I find Solomon\'s struggle for meaning as almost a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nFrom the beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon decrying the vanity of it all, declaring,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He finds it offensive that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work, but it will profit him none; he will pass away and another will take his place, and no one will remember him: <strong>\"</strong>There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after\" (1:11). Furthermore, neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1: 9). In fact, Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value. And pleasure, riches and treasures, skills, popularity, and youth? These too are all utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All things come alike to all: one event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes and oath as he who fears an oath\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaints that there is no reason or meaning behind who suffers and does not, who prospers and does not, and those who are righteous or not are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any. This is in contrast  to the karmic equation that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Rather, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), take heart!  Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it seemingly makes no difference to what happens to us here on earth.\n\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.\n\nSecondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure, eventually you will find that they do not have eternal significance nor do they bring true happiness. If you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? We need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even in what we perceive to be our calling or vocation. These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, but in the end, they should not be the source of meaning for our lives.\n\nLastly,\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-19','','','2011-11-11 11:32:27','2011-11-11 19:32:27','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(2152,1,'2011-11-10 12:12:53','2011-11-10 20:12:53','A six-part series exploring sex before marriage by Ally Spotts, author of <em><a href=\"http://www.allyspotts.com/asking-all-the-wrong-questions\" target=\"_blank\">Asking All The Wrong Questions</a></em>.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/11/09/why-are-christians-saving-sex-for-marriage-part-1/\">Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 1 - Questions</a>\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 2 - Trust\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 3 - Friends\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 4 - Happiness\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 5 - Value\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 6 - Lust','Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage','','inherit','open','open','','2076-revision-4','','','2011-11-10 12:12:53','2011-11-10 20:12:53','',2076,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/10/2076-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2153,1,'2011-11-11 11:31:17','2011-11-11 19:31:17','Pennsylvania is reeling under the daily waves of allegations, reports and aftershocks of a decades-long child molestation cover up at Penn State University. Check that: the <em>nation</em> is preoccupied with the news of every parent\'s nightmare. Listening to sports radio, I\'ve been impressed with the caliber of comments from regular Joe\'s who have no patience for the horror of the acts or the cover up by officials. I\'m also reminded of the value of conversation in dealing with major crises, the crazy history of riots in our country and the intolerance we have as a common voice for inexcusable acts against the weakest members of our society.\r\n\r\nPenn State has, until this month, enjoyed over a century as King of the Hill in terms of well known and well attended institutions of higher learning. The main campus in State College, PA is a leafy, rolling landscape populated by the freshness of youth and decades of academic professionalism. Penn State also enjoys a sort of BMOC reputation for its football program; there is, in most of Pennsylvania, the \"cult of Penn State,\" which prides itself on winning seasons, NFL players and the winningest coach in college ball.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Joe-Paterno.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2149\" title=\"Joe-Paterno\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Joe-Paterno.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"169\" /></a>When we heard the news that vaunted Penn State, and Saint Joe Paterno (aka JoePa) had a disturbing skeleton in its closet that spanned years and subjected 10 year old boys to unspeakable crimes, the nation gasped, the echoes of which are still being heard. As we struggle to understand how something like this could have happened, how grown men could act with such abhorrence, we watch the cult crumble. The Ohio State scandal regarding tattoos for memorabilia seems positively quaint when parked next to the grim scene in Happy Valley. Oregon Ducks playing fast and loose with payments to a shady “scout?” Small potatoes.\r\n\r\nIs anyone surprised anymore? I want to say, “No. Nothing surprises me.” The cult of PSU is under the umbrella of the cult of college sports, specifically college football, a huge money maker for institutions. Players seem like nothing more than prostitutes putting out for the pimps in power, who sit in their proverbial ivory towers counting the cash pouring in.\r\n\r\nI can almost understand taking money from boosters, or accepting dinners from fans. No one gets hurt, student-athletes live on college incomes just like other students. It’s almost <em>de riguer</em> for marquee athletes to be given extras their bench-warming buddies aren’t afforded. At the very most, it’s against the rules.\r\n\r\nAs the shock recedes, we recover our reason. We understand that those we revered are just like anyone; complicated, insecure, careless, selfish, thoughtless. Our heroes are not, in fact, perfect. We must reconcile what we expected from these public personas with what they delivered in private, and find disappointment.\r\n\r\nI wonder if we are in part to blame. Football fans demand good games, strong schedules, high winning percentages. Gamblers expect to cover the spread. Entire weekends are devoted to celebrating a group of young men clashing on the field...for what? Bragging rights. Nothing more. Nothing less. We put them on that pedestal. Are we surprised when it crumbles under the weight of our impossible demands?\r\n\r\nBut this? This is beyond disgusting. More than heart wrenching. Harder than a kick in the gut. We have questions that demand answers.  How could this happen? How could THEY let this happen? And what now? How do we show Penn State pride when we are sickened? How do we recover? How do we help the children?\r\n\r\nSports radio is usually an entertaining arm of the entertainment megaplex that is American sport. Undereducated homers are offered the opportunity to call in and with horrible grammar and syntax explain why their “team’s gonna kick your team’s ass.” But in the last two weeks, sports radio has been like one giant shrink’s sofa, where we can carry the weight of our hurt for these children and feel connected to others in our outrage. I have heard very few people coming to the defense of these men and their acts of abuse or acts of omission.\r\n\r\nI am heartened; if we can’t agree on the BCS or the relative merits of the SEC, then at least we can agree that every single act of molestation that happened on that campus was wrong. And furthermore, that those in charge need to be held responsible, at the cost of their jobs, and for some of them, their freedom.\r\n\r\nThe only voice of dissent came from the students, in a grotesque caricature of sports at their worst. The students who rioted in State College reveal further the darkness in the cult of sport. They showed, in their violence, a refusal to demand justice, a lack of understanding, a pleasure seeking impulse that is difficult to understand. Rioting over racial or political injustice? Fine. Rioting to show support for a coach, in light of clear-as-day evidence? The mother in me shakes my head: They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Their behavior was inexcusable.\r\n\r\nPerhaps their role models, the ones they rioted to support, have taught them something; they are the truly inexcusable. In the end, as time passes, the public can focus our outrage onto the next football scandal. Make no mistake: there will be another football scandal. But as we do, we leave behind these children who were raped and abused at the hands of men in power. Young, trusting boys told the truth and for their troubles received the cold shoulder of feigned ignorance. We can shake our fists at the next trouble, whereas these children, some now young adults, live with the agony of their victimization.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Happy Valley Under a Cloud','','inherit','open','open','','2133-revision-5','','','2011-11-11 11:31:17','2011-11-11 19:31:17','',2133,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2133-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(2154,1,'2011-11-11 11:34:59','2011-11-11 19:34:59','A six-part series exploring sex before marriage by Ally Spotts, author of <em><a href=\"http://www.allyspotts.com/asking-all-the-wrong-questions\" target=\"_blank\">Asking All The Wrong Questions</a></em>.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/11/09/why-are-christians-saving-sex-for-marriage-part-1/\">Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 1 - Questions</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/why-are-christians-saving-sex-for-marriage-part-2/\">Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 2 - Trust</a>\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 3 - Friends\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 4 - Happiness\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 5 - Value\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 6 - Lust','Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage','','inherit','open','open','','2076-revision-5','','','2011-11-11 11:34:59','2011-11-11 19:34:59','',2076,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2076-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(2157,1,'2011-11-11 11:35:22','2011-11-11 19:35:22','A six-part series exploring sex before marriage by Ally Spotts, author of <em><a href=\"http://www.allyspotts.com/asking-all-the-wrong-questions\" target=\"_blank\">Asking All The Wrong Questions</a></em>.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/11/09/why-are-christians-saving-sex-for-marriage-part-1/\">Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 1 - Questions</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/why-are-christians-saving-sex-for-marriage-part-2/\">Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 2 - Trust</a>\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 3 - Friends\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 4 - Happiness\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 5 - Value\r\n\r\nWhy Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage: Part 6 - Lust','Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage','','inherit','open','open','','2076-revision-6','','','2011-11-11 11:35:22','2011-11-11 19:35:22','',2076,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2076-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(2158,1,'2011-11-08 09:28:53','2011-11-08 17:28:53','<em>This is the first post in the Series: Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage.</em>\r\n<h3>I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Saving sex for marriage isn’t that big of a deal.</h3>\r\nThink about it.\r\n\r\nIt’s a test of your will. That’s all. Just a line drawn in the sand that you tell yourself you’re not going to cross. You can walk up to the line, poke your toe over the edge, push it around a little and see if it will budge.\r\n\r\nYou might even jump over the line a couple of times but then you’ll chalk it up to a moment of weakness and jump back to the other side. The guilt you feel will keep you on the right side of the line, at least for awhile.\r\n\r\nThat what “saving sex for marriage” is about, isn\'t it? That’s how we’re all acting. I keep getting questions about this and can’t help but wonder what it is we’re trying to get at. What does it mean to save sex for marriage? What are physical boundaries all about?\r\n\r\n<em><strong><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://www.allyspotts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Wedding-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" />Correct me if I\'m wrong, but here are the questions you really want to ask.</strong></em>\r\n\r\nIf I’m saving sex for marriage can I have oral sex? Is that wrong?\r\n\r\nHow much kissing is too much kissing? Can we sleep in the same bed?\r\n\r\nWhat about dry humping? What’s the verdict on that?\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to touching am I allowed to touch and be touched in whatever ways I want as long as it’s over the clothes?\r\n\r\nWhat if I get an orgasm from it? Is that wrong?\r\n\r\nWhat about getting naked? Can I take my shirt off as long as my pants are on? Can one of us be naked if the other one isn’t?\r\n\r\nWhat is the right combination of nakedness to clothes to prevent myself from being convicted of sexual sin?\r\n<h4>We’re talking ourselves in circles. We’re asking all the wrong questions.</h4>\r\nAnd we wonder why, at the end of the day - no matter where we set the boundary - we have a hard time keeping it.\r\n\r\nFollowing a list of rules like that is pointless. As in it <em>has no point</em>.\r\n<h4>No wonder we get tired and give up.</h4>\r\nI want to challenge us to stop asking the question “What’s okay for me to do or not do” and start asking this question instead:\r\n\r\n<em>“Why am I committed to this in the first place?”</em>\r\n\r\nHonestly. Consider this a free-for all in my comments section.\r\n<h3>Why are Christians waiting until marriage for sex?</h3>','Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage? Part 1','','inherit','open','open','','1887-revision-11','','','2011-11-08 09:28:53','2011-11-08 17:28:53','',1887,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/08/1887-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(2159,1,'2011-11-08 09:28:22','2011-11-08 17:28:22','<em>This is the second post in the Series: Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage.</em>\r\n<h4>Trust means you have a firm reliance on the integrity and ability of a person or thing. Trust creates a foundation for strong relationship.</h4>\r\nIt’s no surprise that exercising self-control in a dating relationship builds trust.\r\n\r\n<em>Trust</em> that your spouse is the kind of person who can control his or her sexual urges.\r\n\r\n<em>Trust</em> that your spouse values his/her sexuality enough to guard it until marriage.\r\n\r\n<em>Trust</em> that your spouse values you and your needs above anyone else.\r\n\r\n<em>Trust</em> that your spouse understands the concept of self-sacrifice and delayed gratification.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://www.allyspotts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Screen-shot-2011-10-10-at-11.22.25-PM-210x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"300\" />If you walk into marriage without trust in these things, you’re asking for trouble. And think of this: If you’re asking, “How far can we go?” you’re wasting energy that could be spent building <em>trust</em> in your relationship.\r\n\r\nGuarding sexuality in a dating relationship (or as a single person) is an opportunity to demonstrate trustworthiness to your future spouse.\r\n<h5>How much trust do you want to demonstrate? A little or a lot?</h5>\r\nIf you\'re single you might not know your spouse now. But think of how trustworthy you’ll seem when you say, “Yeah, it was hard. And there were times that I was lonely. But I wanted you more than I wanted anyone else.”\r\n\r\nIf you\'re in a relationship you might be dating your future spouse right now. How much does that person mean to you? Are your actions demonstrating that?\r\n<h3>Building trust takes time. You might as well start now.</h3>\r\nIf trust builds a strong relationship, and you care about your future marriage, why wouldn\'t you embrace an opportunity to demonstrate and build trust?\r\n\r\nIf you knew your actions were a direct reflection of how much your spouse would trust you someday how would it change the way you act?\r\n\r\nAnd if you knew that the amount of trust you demonstrated before marriage would be equivalent to the amount of trust you have after the wedding day? What then?\r\n<h5>Would you still be asking “how far is too far?” or would you start asking “What more can I do to demonstrate my trust?”</h5>\r\nIf you’ve already messed up, it’s okay. <em>This is your chance to prove that you’ve changed</em>. This gives you an opportunity to prove your true identity. You are a man or woman of value.\r\n\r\nYou can be trusted.\r\n<h4>Do you believe that?</h4>','Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage? Part 2','','inherit','open','open','','1891-revision-10','','','2011-11-08 09:28:22','2011-11-08 17:28:22','',1891,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/08/1891-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(2160,1,'2011-11-08 09:27:24','2011-11-08 17:27:24','<em>This is the third post in the Series: Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage.</em>\r\n<h3>I’ve interviewed hundreds of married couples over the past 12 months.</h3>\r\nThey say the same thing about marriage: “Friendship is the most important aspect of our relationship. Don’t marry someone unless they are your best friend.”\r\n\r\nSex creates passion and romance in a relationship but when sex enters the picture friendship takes second best. And for good reason.\r\n<h4><strong><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://www.allyspotts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Screen-shot-2011-10-11-at-12.37.27-PM-200x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" />Sex is fun. It was designed that way. We’re supposed to enjoy it.</strong></h4>\r\nSex in addition to friendship creates a really lasting bond in a relationship - one that is hard to break. Sex without friendship is fragile and explosive. It’s like an expensive vase set on an unsteady table. Just give it the slightest bump and it will tumble and break.\r\n\r\n<strong>Don’t just disagree with me. Think about it.</strong>\r\n\r\nRemember the last one night stand that you had? Even if it wasn’t sex? What did you feel when you “hooked up” with someone outside of relationship? Secure and steady? Or uncomfortable and confused?\r\n\r\nStrong boundaries create security in relationship - not chaos.\r\n\r\nFriendship takes time to build. But dating gives you space to do it. Stop wasting energy asking yourself “how far is too far?” and use that energy to create space to grow friendship in your relationship.\r\n<h4><strong>The bigger space you create the faster friendship grows. And the sooner you can get to the good stuff.</strong></h4>\r\n<em>Kidding. Kind of.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Friends</em> laugh together and play.\r\n\r\n<em>Friends</em> talk about things that matter to them. Fears and frustrations. The things that make them hopeful and excited.\r\n\r\n<em>Friends</em> communicate with each other even when they\'re angry. They work through difficult conflict.\r\n\r\n<em>Friends</em> assume the best about each other.\r\n\r\n<em>Friends</em> learn about each other through shared experiences. They celebrate accomplishments.\r\n\r\n<em>Friends</em> know the best and the worst parts of each other. They demonstrate love even when it\'s difficult.\r\n\r\n<em>Friends</em> <a title=\"It Builds Trust: Why Are Christians Waiting for Marriage for Sex? Part 2 of 6\" href=\"http://www.allyspotts.com/waiting-for-marriage-2\">trust one another</a>.\r\n<h4>Friendship like this takes work to build.</h4>\r\nCan you think of any friends you have like this? Give yourself time and space to build this kind of friendship. You\'ll be glad you did.\r\n\r\nIf you’re having a hard time redirecting your sexual energy don’t be discouraged. That’s a good thing. That means you’re human and you like each other. And when you’ve gone to a certain place physically it’s really hard not to go back.\r\n\r\n<strong>But don’t try to be a super hero. No one is expecting you to be that strong. Create boundaries will help you to accomplish your objective.</strong>\r\n\r\nHang out in groups. Go out on dates. Don’t stay in. Ask people to hold you accountable and ask you hard questions. Don’t try to manage your actions or justify them. Admit you were wrong and ask for help.\r\n\r\nLaugh. Talk. Play games.\r\n\r\nBe friends first.','Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage? Part 3','','inherit','open','open','','1893-revision-8','','','2011-11-08 09:27:24','2011-11-08 17:27:24','',1893,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/08/1893-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(2161,1,'2011-11-08 09:27:49','2011-11-08 17:27:49','<em>This is the fourth post in the Series: Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage.</em>\r\n\r\n<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;\">Relationships don’t always make us happy. I know. Breaking news. Big gasps. Etc. Etc.</span>\r\n\r\nSex and all the things leading up to sex make us feel good. We wouldn\'t be having this discussion if they didn\'t. But happiness isn\'t everything in relationship. Good relationships are good in part because of a commitment demonstrated even when things are difficult.\r\n<h4><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://www.allyspotts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Screen-shot-2011-10-13-at-2.41.42-AM-300x195.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" />Relationships are more about holiness than they are about happiness.</h4>\r\nIs your relationship making you more holy? CS Lewis explains <em>holiness</em> like this:\r\n\r\nYour life is a continuum where <em>wholeness</em> is on one end and <em>destruction</em> is on the other. Each decision you make is moving you one direction. What direction are you moving because of this relationship?\r\n<h5>Are you becoming more broken or more whole? Holiness just means you’re becoming more whole.</h5>\r\nIs the relationship you\'re in moving you toward the good? Is it helping you become the person who God made you to be? Or is it hindering you from that growth?\r\n\r\nIf the purpose of my relationships is happiness then anytime I feel unhappy or uncomfortable the temptation will be to end my relationship. If the purpose of my relationship is holiness then I\'ll see every discomfort as an opportunity to work toward becoming more <em>whole</em>.\r\n\r\nIf I value a relationship only for the happiness it brings me then I miss the joy that comes over the long haul in relationship.\r\n\r\nIt takes strength to stick it out when you don’t feel happy. That strength is a muscle that needs to be exercised. Self-denial and self-sacrifice won\'t define every season of your relationship, but they do build a sturdy marriage.\r\n<h5>Do you want to work out now? Or later? Is there a difference?</h5>\r\nIf you’re asking the question “How far can we go?” you’re wasting energy that could be spent taking big steps toward wholeness, restoration and peace. The less energy you waste trying to draw an imaginary line the more energy you’ll have to take bigger steps.\r\n\r\nTrust me. I’ve tried to walk this line. I’ve stay in relationships too long where both of us were using each other to manage our own loneliness.\r\n<h5>It will either be hard now or hard later. Don\'t defer the difficulty. You are not stuck.</h5>\r\nYou have the power to change your circumstance. You have the strength to take the next step toward holiness - even if it means ending your relationship.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Which direction will you step next?</strong>','Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage? Part 4','','inherit','open','open','','1895-revision-8','','','2011-11-08 09:27:49','2011-11-08 17:27:49','',1895,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/08/1895-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(2162,1,'2011-11-08 09:24:59','2011-11-08 17:24:59','<em>This is the fifth post in the Series: Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage.</em>\r\n<h3>Do you have any idea how valuable you are? I don’t think you do.</h3>\r\nIf I had known how valuable I was I wouldn’t have wasted so many years offering myself for such a cheap price to so many undeserving men.\r\n\r\n<em>No wonder I didn’t feel valuable.</em>\r\n\r\nNo wonder men didn’t see the value I was desperate for them to see in me. Value is like a mirror. The way I see myself in the mirror impacts the way I present myself. The way I present myself impacts how I\'m perceived. When I feel less than valuable I project myself as less than valuable and that is how I am received.\r\n\r\n<strong>It\'s a vicious cycle.</strong>\r\n\r\nStrong physical boundaries in relationship speak to your value. They speak the message that you want others to hear. You are worth more than a movie ticket or a cup of coffee or a couple of dinners out. You are not that easily accessible. It takes more than that.\r\n<h4><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://www.allyspotts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Screen-shot-2011-10-14-at-1.06.33-AM-300x273.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"273\" />Let your physical boundaries speak to the value you place on your sexuality.</h4>\r\nThank goodness for people in my life who helped speak to my value. We need people who hold up a mirror and say, \"Look! This is what you really look like! Remember how valuable you are?\" I have a ton of people like that. Who does that for you in your life?\r\n\r\nPeople who <em>value</em> you love you not because of the things you do or what you offer them but just because you are you. They want what is good for you even if it isn\'t good for them.\r\n\r\n<strong>I don’t have to prove earn my value or prove my value to these people. I am valuable. I just am.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhat would happen if you eliminated all the people from your life who care more about what you have to offer them than they do about your well-being? What would happen if you stopped caving in to them?\r\n\r\nI spent years of my life searching for security, significance and belonging in the wrong places. It was like looking in a broken mirror. I didn’t realize that I already had all of the things I was trying to find.\r\n\r\n<em>I needed someone to hold up a mirror to show me who I really was. I had those things. I was valuable. I am.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>You will not find the self-value you are looking for in a physical relationship. I know it feels like you will but you won\'t. You\'ll feel less valued than you did when you were alone.\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\nDo you believe me?\r\n\r\nDo you know how much value you have?','Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage? Part 5','','inherit','open','open','','1897-revision-9','','','2011-11-08 09:24:59','2011-11-08 17:24:59','',1897,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/08/1897-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(2163,48,'2011-11-11 11:46:51','2011-11-11 19:46:51','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, in the midst of despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it doesn\'t appear to effdifference to what happens to us here on earth.\n\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.\n\nSecondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure, eventually you will find that they do not have eternal significance nor do they bring true happiness. If you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? We need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even in what we perceive to be our calling or vocation. These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, but in the end, they should not be the source of meaning for our lives.\n\nLastly,\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-20','','','2011-11-11 11:46:51','2011-11-11 19:46:51','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(2164,1,'2011-11-08 09:25:07','2011-11-08 17:25:07','<em>This is the sixth post in the Series: Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage.\r\n</em>\r\n\r\nIf you think that you can entertain lust in a dating relationship (or as a single person) and stop when you get married you’re in line for a rude awakening. Lust does not have a light switch.\r\n\r\nSome of you know this. Your trigger response is lust and you’ve tried to turn it off and it hasn’t worked.\r\n\r\n<em>You’re addicted to porn. </em>\r\n\r\n<em>You’ve tried to stop hooking up with guys but it hasn’t worked.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>You can’t fall asleep without masturbating.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>You can’t keep your hands out of your girlfriend/boyfriend’s pants.</em>\r\n\r\nYou think this will go away when you get married? It won’t. There is not a magic button that turns lust off when you walk down the aisle. If you want to get rid of your lustful thoughts and feelings you have to decide you’re going to do it now.\r\n<h4><strong>Wouldn’t you rather get rid of these thoughts and feelings before you get married?</strong></h4>\r\nYou have a choice. Do you want to get rid of lust <em>now</em> or <em>later</em>? What if I told you that the faster you got rid of your lustful thoughts the more quickly you would have a really satisfying sex life with your spouse? What then?\r\n\r\nDon’t try to manage your lust or moderate it. Lust is not manageable. You can’t “sort of” get rid of lust. You have to decide to kill it completely.\r\n\r\nIf you don’t kill lust, lust will kill you.\r\n\r\n<em>I promise. </em>\r\n\r\nI once had a friend tell me that whatever you feed lives and whatever you starve dies. Do not feed your lust. Kill it.\r\n\r\nLooking at pornography <em>feeds</em> your lust. Masturbating <em>feeds</em> your lust. Silently ranking guys or girls you see on the street, or undressing them with your eyes, or messing around with them outside of a married relationship feeds your lust.\r\n\r\nPushing the boundaries with your boyfriend or girlfriend feeds your lust.\r\n\r\nLust is incredibly self-serving. It is also self-destructive.\r\n<h4><strong>If you’re asking yourself “how far can we go?” your giving lust room to grow.</strong></h4>\r\nWouldn’t you rather kill lust now, while you’re dating, so that you can have a really satisfying sex life in marriage? Wouldn’t you rather kill lust now?\r\n\r\n<strong>There’s a difference between lust and sexual passion.</strong>\r\n\r\nSexual passion should exist in your relationship - even if you’re only dating. If you don’t feel passion in a sexual way toward your significant other you should ask yourself if you’re really interested in marrying that person.\r\n\r\nSexual passion is not a bad thing. Sex is a gift from God. Sexuality is healthy. The difference between lust and sexual passion is that you have control over your sexuality.\r\n\r\nThat’s why it says in Song of Solomon: “Do not arouse or awaken love before it is time.”\r\n\r\nYou get to decide when to arouse sexual passions and when to put them to sleep. That’s now what it’s like with lust. You’ve been controlled by your lust but when you put lust to sleep, you control your sexuality. It does not control you!\r\n\r\n<em>Did you catch that?</em>\r\n<h4><strong>You control your sexual desire. It does not control you. </strong></h4>\r\nIt’s like a craving for good food. Your body craves food and that’s a good thing. If you never got hungry you’d wonder if something was wrong with you.\r\n\r\nBut when you get hungry you get to choose when you eat and when you don’t. You make decisions about what kind of food to put in your body.\r\n\r\nAre you going to choose good food? Don’t satisfy yourself with a McDonald’s cheeseburger when there is a gourmet dinner waiting for you just around the corner. Stop asking yourself, “how far can I go” to manage your hunger.\r\n\r\n<em>Let yourself be hungry. Hunger is a good thing. The gourmet dinner will taste even better. </em>','Why Are Christians Saving Sex For Marriage? Part 6','','inherit','open','open','','1899-revision-6','','','2011-11-08 09:25:07','2011-11-08 17:25:07','',1899,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/08/1899-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(2165,48,'2011-11-11 11:47:04','2011-11-11 19:47:04','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, in the midst of despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\r\n\r\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\r\n\r\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it doesn\'t appear to effect what happens to us here on earth.\r\n\r\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.\r\n\r\nSecondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure, eventually you will find that they do not have eternal significance nor do they bring true happiness. If you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? We need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even in what we perceive to be our calling or vocation. These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, but in the end, they should not be the source of meaning for our lives.\r\n\r\nLastly,\r\n\r\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-21','','','2011-11-11 11:47:04','2011-11-11 19:47:04','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(2166,48,'2011-11-11 11:50:43','2011-11-11 19:50:43','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, in the midst of despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of Godd\n\nSecondly, Solomon learned something I think we should all take to heart: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure, eventually you will find that they do not have eternal significance nor do they bring true happiness. If you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not important enough or prestigious enough. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  What happens if you define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? We need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even in what we perceive to be our calling or vocation. These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, but in the end, they should not be the source of meaning for our lives.\n\nLastly,\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-22','','','2011-11-11 11:50:43','2011-11-11 19:50:43','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(2167,48,'2011-11-11 11:58:01','2011-11-11 19:58:01','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, in the midst of despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\n\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  Furthermore, what happens if you completely define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? As Solomon says, \"These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, However,  we need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even (gasp!) our calling or vocation.\n\nLastly,\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). While his final conclusion perhaps is not the full meaning I would wish for, it does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and it may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven whom we must serve.  We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin. It is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with temporal and earthly distractions and pains. I think that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, this very struggle is a necessary and even good part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-23','','','2011-11-11 11:58:01','2011-11-11 19:58:01','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(2168,48,'2011-11-11 12:13:15','2011-11-11 20:13:15','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, in the midst of despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\n\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  Furthermore, what happens if you completely define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? As Solomon says, \"These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, However,  we need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even (gasp!) our calling or vocation.\n\nLastly,\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has fully worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I think there is a little more to it; but Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us. We are immortal souls housed in dying flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin, and we need to look for the full, complete meaning of life in a context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with the temporal and earthly distractions, pains, and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He can handle our questions as to why bad things happen to good people. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-24','','','2011-11-11 12:13:15','2011-11-11 20:13:15','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(2169,48,'2011-11-11 12:35:59','2011-11-11 20:35:59','Young Woman Biting Her Finger Nail --- Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis','Young Woman Biting Her Finger Nail','','inherit','open','open','','young-woman-biting-her-finger-nail','','','2011-11-11 12:35:59','2011-11-11 20:35:59','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Woman-thinking.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2170,48,'2011-11-11 12:14:44','2011-11-11 20:14:44','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life, in the midst of despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) is meaningful, if it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nI find comfort in Solomon\'s initial struggle in Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\n\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up in despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may despair when you realize that years from now, no one will remember you or your work, so what does it matter?  Furthermore, what happens if you completely define yourself by your work or vocation, and then, like a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled, you are no longer able to do that which defined you? What then? As Solomon says, \"These are things God gives us that we should enjoy while we are on earth, However,  we need to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, or even (gasp!) our calling or vocation.\n\nLastly,\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has fully worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I think there is a little more to it; but Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us. We are immortal souls housed in dying flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin, and we need to look for the full, complete meaning of life in a context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with the temporal and earthly distractions, pains, and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He can handle our questions as to why bad things happen to good people. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-25','','','2011-11-11 12:14:44','2011-11-11 20:14:44','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(2171,48,'2011-11-11 16:10:41','2011-11-12 00:10:41','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\n\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse- in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happenif you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you were a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled,and you are suddenly and irretrieveably unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it shouldn\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. I think it can be a very freeing moment when we are first able to grasp that what we do is not who w\n\nLastly,\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has fully worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I think there is a little more to it; but Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us. We are immortal souls housed in dying flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin, and we need to look for the full, complete meaning of life in a context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with the temporal and earthly distractions, pains, and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He can handle our questions as to why bad things happen to good people. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-26','','','2011-11-11 16:10:41','2011-11-12 00:10:41','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(2172,48,'2011-11-11 16:26:39','2011-11-12 00:26:39','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\n\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse- in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happenif you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you were a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled,and you are suddenly and irretrieveably unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it shouldn\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\n\nThirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things happen to good people sometimes and sometimes good things happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, that part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. \"Evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and seem to have an easy life. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the who or why of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- we just doesn\'t have to define who we are or what our lives mean by those good or bad.\n\nBy the end of Ecclesiastes, I\'m not sure that Solomon has fully worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I think there is a little more to it; but Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us. We are immortal souls housed in dying flesh in an absurd world that is riddled with sin, and we need to look for the full, complete meaning of life in a context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to find our meaning in the everlasting when we are so daily faced with the temporal and earthly distractions, pains, and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He can handle our questions as to why bad things happen to good people. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-27','','','2011-11-11 16:26:39','2011-11-12 00:26:39','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),(2173,48,'2011-11-11 16:38:35','2011-11-12 00:38:35','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\n\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse- in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happenif you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you were a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled,and you are suddenly and irretrieveably unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it shouldn\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\n\nThirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things happen to good people sometimes and sometimes good things happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, that part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. \"Evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and seem to have an easy life. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the who or why of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by things that \"happen\" to us, be they good or bad.\n\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\n\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-28','','','2011-11-11 16:38:35','2011-11-12 00:38:35','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-28/',0,'revision','',0),(2174,48,'2011-11-11 16:41:52','2011-11-12 00:41:52','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Ironically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\n\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse- in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happenif you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you were a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled,and you are suddenly and irretrieveably unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it shouldn\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\n\nThirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things happen to good people sometimes and sometimes good things happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, that part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. \"Evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and seem to have an easy life. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the who or why of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by things that \"happen\" to us, be they good or bad.\n\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\n\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-29','','','2011-11-11 16:41:52','2011-11-12 00:41:52','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-29/',0,'revision','',0),(2175,48,'2011-11-11 16:44:13','2011-11-12 00:44:13','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Ironically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  Furthermore, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\n\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse: in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happen if you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you are a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose cripples their hands, suddenly and permanently unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it can\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\n\nThirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things happen to good people sometimes and sometimes good things happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, that part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. \"Evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and seem to have an easy life. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the who or why of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by things that \"happen\" to us, be they good or bad.\n\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\n\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-30','','','2011-11-11 16:44:13','2011-11-12 00:44:13','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-30/',0,'revision','',0),(2176,48,'2011-11-11 16:49:25','2011-11-12 00:49:25','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Ironically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  Furthermore, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.Secondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse: in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happen if you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you are a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose cripples their hands, suddenly and permanently unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it can\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment indeed when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\n<ul>\n	<li>Thirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things may happen to good people and good things may happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard, treat others fairly, and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. Meanwhile, \"evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and coast through life without a worry. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the whos or whys of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by what \"happens\" to us, be it good or bad.</li>\n</ul>\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\n\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-31','','','2011-11-11 16:49:25','2011-11-12 00:49:25','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-31/',0,'revision','',0),(2177,48,'2011-11-11 16:49:45','2011-11-12 00:49:45','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\r\n\r\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Ironically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  Furthermore, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\r\n\r\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for three reasons:\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\r\n\r\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse: in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happen if you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you are a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose cripples their hands, suddenly and permanently unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it can\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment indeed when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>Thirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things may happen to good people and good things may happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard, treat others fairly, and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. Meanwhile, \"evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and coast through life without a worry. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the whos or whys of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by what \"happens\" to us, be it good or bad.\r\n\r\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\r\n\r\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-32','','','2011-11-11 16:49:45','2011-11-12 00:49:45','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-32/',0,'revision','',0),(2183,48,'2011-11-11 16:53:42','2011-11-12 00:53:42','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\r\n\r\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Ironically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  Furthermore, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\r\n\r\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for three reasons:\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\r\n\r\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse: in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happen if you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you are a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose cripples their hands, suddenly and permanently unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it can\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment indeed when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>Thirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things may happen to good people and good things may happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard, treat others fairly, and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. Meanwhile, \"evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and coast through life without a worry. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the whos or whys of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by what \"happens\" to us, be it good or bad.\r\n\r\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\r\n\r\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather it must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-36','','','2011-11-11 16:53:42','2011-11-12 00:53:42','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-36/',0,'revision','',0),(2178,48,'2011-11-11 16:50:23','2011-11-12 00:50:23','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\r\n\r\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Ironically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  Furthermore, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\r\n\r\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for three reasons:\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\r\n\r\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse: in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happen if you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you are a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose cripples their hands, suddenly and permanently unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it can\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment indeed when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>Thirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things may happen to good people and good things may happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard, treat others fairly, and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. Meanwhile, \"evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and coast through life without a worry. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the whos or whys of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by what \"happens\" to us, be it good or bad.\r\n\r\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\r\n\r\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather it must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-33','','','2011-11-11 16:50:23','2011-11-12 00:50:23','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-33/',0,'revision','',0),(2179,48,'2011-11-11 16:50:31','2011-11-12 00:50:31','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\r\n\r\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Ironically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  Furthermore, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\r\n\r\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for three reasons:\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\r\n\r\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse: in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happen if you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you are a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose cripples their hands, suddenly and permanently unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it can\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment indeed when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>Thirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things may happen to good people and good things may happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard, treat others fairly, and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. Meanwhile, \"evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and coast through life without a worry. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the whos or whys of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by what \"happens\" to us, be it good or bad.\r\n\r\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\r\n\r\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather it must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-34','','','2011-11-11 16:50:31','2011-11-12 00:50:31','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-34/',0,'revision','',0),(2857,1,'2011-12-01 14:37:00','2011-12-01 22:37:00','[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMLZO-sObzQ[/youtube]\n\nFrom YouTube: Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old University of Iowa student spoke about the strength of his family during a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Wahls has two mothers, and came to oppose House Joint Resolution 6 which would end civil unions in Iowa.\n\nI think the young man makes a profound argument about the dignity of each human being and the commitment to family and marriage.','Zach Wahls Speaks Out','','inherit','open','open','','2855-revision','','','2011-12-01 14:37:00','2011-12-01 22:37:00','',2855,'http://provoketive.com/2011/12/01/2855-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2182,48,'2011-11-11 16:51:20','2011-11-12 00:51:20','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\r\n\r\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Ironically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  Furthermore, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\r\n\r\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for three reasons:\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\r\n\r\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse: in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happen if you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you are a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose cripples their hands, suddenly and permanently unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it can\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment indeed when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>Thirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things may happen to good people and good things may happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard, treat others fairly, and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. Meanwhile, \"evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and coast through life without a worry. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the whos or whys of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by what \"happens\" to us, be it good or bad.\r\n\r\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\r\n\r\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather it must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes, Part 1: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-35','','','2011-11-11 16:51:20','2011-11-12 00:51:20','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-35/',0,'revision','',0),(2185,77,'2011-11-12 06:58:11','2011-11-12 14:58:11','','marbles','','inherit','open','open','','marbles','','','2011-11-12 06:58:11','2011-11-12 14:58:11','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/marbles.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2186,77,'2011-11-12 06:57:26','2011-11-12 14:57:26','Far too many workplaces in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines and generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\n\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable places.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\n\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce some healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\n<ol>\n	<li>Read a n0n-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Are there safety issues for the employees? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\n</ol>\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision','','','2011-11-12 06:57:26','2011-11-12 14:57:26','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2187,77,'2011-11-12 06:59:54','2011-11-12 14:59:54','Far too many workplaces in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines and generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\r\n\r\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable places.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\r\n\r\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce some healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Read a n0n-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\r\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\r\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Are there safety issues for the employees? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-2','','','2011-11-12 06:59:54','2011-11-12 14:59:54','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2188,77,'2011-11-12 07:03:47','2011-11-12 15:03:47','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\r\n\r\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable places.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\r\n\r\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Read a n0n-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\r\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\r\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Are there safety issues for the employees? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-3','','','2011-11-12 07:03:47','2011-11-12 15:03:47','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2189,77,'2011-11-12 07:03:54','2011-11-12 15:03:54','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\r\n\r\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable places.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\r\n\r\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Read a n0n-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\r\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\r\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Are there safety issues for the employees? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-4','','','2011-11-12 07:03:54','2011-11-12 15:03:54','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2190,77,'2011-11-12 07:06:20','2011-11-12 15:06:20','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\n\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable environments.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\n\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\n<ol>\n	<li>Read a n0n-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Are there safety issues for the employees? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\n</ol>\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-5','','','2011-11-12 07:06:20','2011-11-12 15:06:20','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(2192,77,'2011-11-12 07:08:18','2011-11-12 15:08:18','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\n\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable environments.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\n\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\n<ol>\n	<li>Read a non-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Are there safety issues for the employees? Do inefficiencies impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\n</ol>\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-7','','','2011-11-12 07:08:18','2011-11-12 15:08:18','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(2191,77,'2011-11-12 07:06:33','2011-11-12 15:06:33','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\r\n\r\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable environments.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\r\n\r\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Read a non-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\r\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\r\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Are there safety issues for the employees? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-6','','','2011-11-12 07:06:33','2011-11-12 15:06:33','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(2193,77,'2011-11-12 07:10:01','2011-11-12 15:10:01','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\n\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable environments.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\n\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\n<ol>\n	<li>Read a non-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Do employees work in unsafe conditions? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\n</ol>\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-8','','','2011-11-12 07:10:01','2011-11-12 15:10:01','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(2194,77,'2011-11-12 07:13:05','2011-11-12 15:13:05','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\n\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable environments.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\n\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\n<ol>\n	<li>Read a non-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work, and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Raving-Fans-Revolutionary-Approach-Customer/dp/0688123163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321110678&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\">Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard</a> is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Do employees work in unsafe conditions? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\n</ol>\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-9','','','2011-11-12 07:13:05','2011-11-12 15:13:05','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(2195,77,'2011-11-12 07:15:32','2011-11-12 15:15:32','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\n\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable environments.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\n\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\n<ol>\n	<li>Read a non-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work, and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Raving-Fans-Revolutionary-Approach-Customer/dp/0688123163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321110678&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\">Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard</a> is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Do employees work in unsafe conditions? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\n</ol>\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-autosave','','','2011-11-12 07:15:32','2011-11-12 15:15:32','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2196,1,'2011-11-12 08:03:37','2011-11-12 16:03:37','I love blogging. I love reading other blogs.\n\nBut there seems to be a strange movement for the past few years to prove one\'s opposition to a certain movement or theological stance. Writers take to the blogosphere and write articles against certain movements and title them, \"Why I\'m not a _____________.\"\n\nLet me give an example that is not personal to me. For instance, let\'s say a blogger is a hardcore believer in the Dewey Decimal system. (You\'re going to have to trust me on this example.) They hate the Library of Congress cataloging system of filing books in the local library. This person has a blog and they want the world to know that they absolutely <strong><em>hate</em></strong> the Library of Congress system of cataloging books.\n\nOn their blog, they post the following entry: \"Why I\'m NOT a Library of Congress Cataloger: Point 1 - First of all - blah blah blah\"\n\nThere\'s a dearth of it out there. It\'s a new polemic. People seem to want to argue why <em>they\'re not something</em>. Oh yeah. It makes for good material. People want to tell you all day why they\'re not \"Calvinist, emergent, fundamentalist, Baptist, Methodist, denominationalist, Democrat, Republican, Armenian, post-modernist, public schooled, home schooled, federally funded, pro-life, pro-abortion, pro-gambling, anti-gambling, blah blah blah blah, whatever.\"\n\nEvery time I see a blog like that I\'m reminded of Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:16-19:  <em>I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves!\"</em>\n\nPaul was defending his Apostleship. He wasn\'t telling them what he <em>wasn\'t</em>. He was telling them what he <em>was</em>.\n\nFor some reason, I believe it\'s a whole lot easier to tell people what you are that to tell people what you aren\'t. When we delve into the realm of what we aren\'t, it begins to smack of a bit of self-righteousness. If we have a problem with someone\'s beliefs, them we need to approach them directly. Masking our issues with someone else\'s beliefs with our own self-doubt is a problem.\n\nStand firm with your beliefs if that\'s where you are, but be open to listen to others. We\'re all on a journey and can at least have respect to listen to other people. A wonderful place to start is to engage others in conversation in commonality, compassion and working from there. .\n\nBeginning with \"I\'m not a ________ because of the following 10 reasons\" is not a great place to start a dialogue.\n\n&nbsp;','\"Why I\'m Not a ___________\" and the New Polemic','','inherit','open','open','','2030-autosave','','','2011-11-12 08:03:37','2011-11-12 16:03:37','',2030,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2030-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2197,1,'2011-11-10 01:15:09','2011-11-10 09:15:09','I love blogging. I love reading other blogs.\r\n\r\nBut there seems to be a strange movement for the past few years to prove one\'s opposition to a certain movement or theological stance. Writers take to the blogosphere and write articles against certain movements and title them, \"Why I\'m not a _____________.\"\r\n\r\nLet me give an example that is not personal to me. For instance, let\'s say a blogger is a hardcore believer in the Dewey Decimal system. (You\'re going to have to trust me on this example.) They hate the Library of Congress cataloging system of filing books in the local library. This person has a blog and they want the world to know that they absolutely <strong><em>hate</em></strong> the Library of Congress system of cataloging books.\r\n\r\nOn their blog, they post the following entry: \"Why I\'m NOT a Library of Congress Cataloger: Point 1 - First of all - blah blah blah\"\r\n\r\nThere\'s a dearth of it out there. It\'s a new polemic. People seem to want to argue why <em>they\'re not something</em>. Oh yeah. It makes for good material. People want to tell you all day why they\'re not \"Calvinist, emergent, fundamentalist, Baptist, Methodist, denominationalist, Democrat, Republican, Armenian, post-modernist, public schooled, home schooled, federally funded, pro-life, pro-abortion, pro-gambling, anti-gambling, blah blah blah blah, whatever.\"\r\n\r\nEvery time I see a blog like that I\'m reminded of Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:16-19:  <em>I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves!\"</em>\r\n\r\nPaul was defending his Apostleship. He wasn\'t telling them what he <em>wasn\'t</em>. He was telling them what he <em>was</em>.\r\n\r\nFor some reason, I believe it\'s a whole lot easier to tell people what you are that to tell people what you aren\'t. When we delve into the realm of what we aren\'t, it begins to smack of a bit of self-righteousness. If we have a problem with someone\'s beliefs, them we need to approach them directly. Masking our issues with someone else\'s beliefs with our own self-doubt is a problem.\r\n\r\nStand firm with your beliefs if that\'s where you are, but be open to listen to others. We\'re all on a journey and can at least have respect to listen to other people. A wonderful place to start is to engage others in conversation in commonality, compassion and working from there. .\r\n\r\nBeginning with \"I\'m not a ________ because of the following 10 reasons\" is not a great place to start a dialogue.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','\"Why I\'m Not a ___________\" and the New Polemic','','inherit','open','open','','2030-revision-3','','','2011-11-10 01:15:09','2011-11-10 09:15:09','',2030,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/10/2030-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2198,1,'2011-11-12 08:06:05','2011-11-12 16:06:05','<blockquote><strong>Women and men</strong>\n<strong>Bringing with them messages of love</strong>\n<strong>And everywhere they go love will grow</strong>\n<strong>When you see the faces of the women</strong>\n<strong>And the men, you too will know</strong>\n~<em>Women and Men</em>, They Might Be Giants</blockquote>\nI don\'t know about anyone else, but I am heartily sick of trendy \"masculine Christianity.\"\n\nAs far as I can tell, the definition of <em>masculine</em> is culturally driven and narrowly defined.  I credit my favorite description of this to author James Howe in his YA novel <em>Totally Joe</em>: \"Guy-guy.\"  You know exactly what he means—the type of person who is, in one way or another, a shining example of what it means to be a real man.  Not just someone whose interests encompass home repair, cars, or video gaming, but someone who is considered undeniably <em>male.</em>  Anyone outside that has crossed the lines of what is healthy manhood into the dangerous waters of undefined gender roles.\n\nMost disturbing is how instead of rejoicing that boys have a wider range of options available beyond the bounds of gender stereotype, some men are fighting back.  Christian leaders are claiming that boys are lost in a frightening whorl of indeterminate gender, unable to fulfill their God-appointed roles.  Others are demanding that Christians examine gender roles in the context of “what God has designed.”  Some blame “the feminists” (whoever those are; they may be imagining a panel of butch lesbians handing down edicts to the rest of us)—apparently, feminists all want a neuter society wherein no one dresses or behaves as a normal man or woman.\n\nWhat saddens me about this is the way it perpetuates the myth of pink and blue.  It also gives (male) pastors license to make pronouncements from the pulpit about what men and women “are like.”  How many times have both men and women had to sit through a sermon on sexuality which was demeaning for both?  Men are perverts with porn addictions; women are uptight and frigid, yet somehow also slutty.  It’s embarrassing.\n\nWhen we’re not being classified by our sex drives or harassed for defying cultural norms, we have to cope with the idea that certain personality traits have gender.  Being gentle, merciful, compassionate, and nurturing are feminine; being strong, tough, and forceful are masculine.  An emphasis on social justice, love, and mercy has led to recent movements in Christianity to be labeled false, emasculated, and submissive.\n\nYet my reading of Scripture implies that’s exactly what Jesus expects from us.  He didn’t turn over the money lenders’ tables or call the Pharisees a brood of vipers in order to demonstrate his hyper-masculine superpowers.  If he’d wanted to do that, he might have overthrown the Roman government or called the resistance movement to arms.  When dealing with the everyday, ordinary struggles, including the sins of the people, Jesus was gentle, humble, compassionate, and forgiving.\n\nI agree that we shouldn’t just sit around having potluck suppers and singing “Kum ba ya.”  But becoming Warrior Christians isn’t the answer.  We can still exhibit strength by standing up for what we believe in and for those who cannot stand for themselves.\n<blockquote><strong>So God created mankind in his own image,\nin the image of God he created them;\nmale and female he created them.</strong>  ~Genesis 1:27\n\n<strong>There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.</strong>  ~Galatians 3:28</blockquote>\n<pre></pre>','The Call to Be Male','','inherit','open','open','','1977-autosave','','','2011-11-12 08:06:05','2011-11-12 16:06:05','',1977,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/1977-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2199,1,'2011-11-10 05:36:19','2011-11-10 13:36:19','<blockquote><strong>Women and men</strong>\r\n<strong>Bringing with them messages of love</strong>\r\n<strong>And everywhere they go love will grow</strong>\r\n<strong>When you see the faces of the women</strong>\r\n<strong>And the men, you too will know</strong>\r\n~<em>Women and Men</em>, They Might Be Giants</blockquote>\r\nI don\'t know about anyone else, but I am heartily sick of trendy \"masculine Christianity.\"\r\n\r\nAs far as I can tell, the definition of <em>masculine</em> is culturally driven and narrowly defined.  I credit my favorite description of this to author James Howe in his YA novel <em>Totally Joe</em>: \"Guy-guy.\"  You know exactly what he means—the type of person who is, in one way or another, a shining example of what it means to be a real man.  Not just someone whose interests encompass home repair, cars, or video gaming, but someone who is considered undeniably <em>male.</em>  Anyone outside that has crossed the lines of what is healthy manhood into the dangerous waters of undefined gender roles.\r\n\r\nMost disturbing is how instead of rejoicing that boys have a wider range of options available beyond the bounds of gender stereotype, some men are fighting back.  Christian leaders are claiming that boys are lost in a frightening whorl of indeterminate gender, unable to fulfill their God-appointed roles.  Others are demanding that Christians examine gender roles in the context of “what God has designed.”  Some blame “the feminists” (whoever those are; they may be imagining a panel of butch lesbians handing down edicts to the rest of us)—apparently, feminists all want a neuter society wherein no one dresses or behaves as a normal man or woman.\r\n\r\nWhat saddens me about this is the way it perpetuates the myth of pink and blue.  It also gives (male) pastors license to make pronouncements from the pulpit about what men and women “are like.”  How many times have both men and women had to sit through a sermon on sexuality which was demeaning for both?  Men are perverts with porn addictions; women are uptight and frigid, yet somehow also slutty.  It’s embarrassing.\r\n\r\nWhen we’re not being classified by our sex drives or harassed for defying cultural norms, we have to cope with the idea that certain personality traits have gender.  Being gentle, merciful, compassionate, and nurturing are feminine; being strong, tough, and forceful are masculine.  An emphasis on social justice, love, and mercy has led to recent movements in Christianity to be labeled false, emasculated, and submissive.\r\n\r\nYet my reading of Scripture implies that’s exactly what Jesus expects from us.  He didn’t turn over the money lenders’ tables or call the Pharisees a brood of vipers in order to demonstrate his hyper-masculine superpowers.  If he’d wanted to do that, he might have overthrown the Roman government or called the resistance movement to arms.  When dealing with the everyday, ordinary struggles, including the sins of the people, Jesus was gentle, humble, compassionate, and forgiving.\r\n\r\nI agree that we shouldn’t just sit around having potluck suppers and singing “Kum ba ya.”  But becoming Warrior Christians isn’t the answer.  We can still exhibit strength by standing up for what we believe in and for those who cannot stand for themselves.\r\n<blockquote><strong>So God created mankind in his own image,\r\nin the image of God he created them;\r\nmale and female he created them.</strong>  ~Genesis 1:27\r\n\r\n<strong>There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.</strong>  ~Galatians 3:28</blockquote>\r\n<pre></pre>','The Call to Be Male','','inherit','open','open','','1977-revision-5','','','2011-11-10 05:36:19','2011-11-10 13:36:19','',1977,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/10/1977-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(2200,1,'2011-11-12 08:04:59','2011-11-12 16:04:59','<blockquote><strong>Women and men</strong>\r\n<strong>Bringing with them messages of love</strong>\r\n<strong>And everywhere they go love will grow</strong>\r\n<strong>When you see the faces of the women</strong>\r\n<strong>And the men, you too will know</strong>\r\n~<em>Women and Men</em>, They Might Be Giants</blockquote>\r\nI don\'t know about anyone else, but I am heartily sick of trendy \"masculine Christianity.\"\r\n\r\nAs far as I can tell, the definition of <em>masculine</em> is culturally driven and narrowly defined.  I credit my favorite description of this to author James Howe in his YA novel <em>Totally Joe</em>: \"Guy-guy.\"  You know exactly what he means—the type of person who is, in one way or another, a shining example of what it means to be a real man.  Not just someone whose interests encompass home repair, cars, or video gaming, but someone who is considered undeniably <em>male.</em>  Anyone outside that has crossed the lines of what is healthy manhood into the dangerous waters of undefined gender roles.\r\n\r\nMost disturbing is how instead of rejoicing that boys have a wider range of options available beyond the bounds of gender stereotype, some men are fighting back.  Christian leaders are claiming that boys are lost in a frightening whorl of indeterminate gender, unable to fulfill their God-appointed roles.  Others are demanding that Christians examine gender roles in the context of “what God has designed.”  Some blame “the feminists” (whoever those are; they may be imagining a panel of butch lesbians handing down edicts to the rest of us)—apparently, feminists all want a neuter society wherein no one dresses or behaves as a normal man or woman.\r\n\r\nWhat saddens me about this is the way it perpetuates the myth of pink and blue.  It also gives (male) pastors license to make pronouncements from the pulpit about what men and women “are like.”  How many times have both men and women had to sit through a sermon on sexuality which was demeaning for both?  Men are perverts with porn addictions; women are uptight and frigid, yet somehow also slutty.  It’s embarrassing.\r\n\r\nWhen we’re not being classified by our sex drives or harassed for defying cultural norms, we have to cope with the idea that certain personality traits have gender.  Being gentle, merciful, compassionate, and nurturing are feminine; being strong, tough, and forceful are masculine.  An emphasis on social justice, love, and mercy has led to recent movements in Christianity to be labeled false, emasculated, and submissive.\r\n\r\nYet my reading of Scripture implies that’s exactly what Jesus expects from us.  He didn’t turn over the money lenders’ tables or call the Pharisees a brood of vipers in order to demonstrate his hyper-masculine superpowers.  If he’d wanted to do that, he might have overthrown the Roman government or called the resistance movement to arms.  When dealing with the everyday, ordinary struggles, including the sins of the people, Jesus was gentle, humble, compassionate, and forgiving.\r\n\r\nI agree that we shouldn’t just sit around having potluck suppers and singing “Kum ba ya.”  But becoming Warrior Christians isn’t the answer.  We can still exhibit strength by standing up for what we believe in and for those who cannot stand for themselves.\r\n<blockquote><strong>So God created mankind in his own image,\r\nin the image of God he created them;\r\nmale and female he created them.</strong>  ~Genesis 1:27\r\n\r\n<strong>There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.</strong>  ~Galatians 3:28</blockquote>\r\n<pre></pre>','The Call to Be Male','','inherit','open','open','','1977-revision-6','','','2011-11-12 08:04:59','2011-11-12 16:04:59','',1977,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/1977-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(2205,1,'2011-11-12 11:29:35','2011-11-12 19:29:35','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/tg00YEETFzg\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"254\"></iframe>\n\nRihanna has a way of making the most interesting videos about the tension of love. We live in relationships with people and within those relationships is the ever present feeling of love that comes from the affections of the other. In many ways, to be loved feels like salvation.  To have someone live in such a ways as to say, \"You are worth it.\"\n\nTo feel it is to risk the possibility of losing it.  And when you do, it becomes a place of unspeakable suffering. It\'s easy to want to hold onto that old memory, desiring to go back to the old places.  In this video <em>We Found Love</em>, a female voice speaks to that tension.  She says:\n\n<em>It\'s like screaming and no one can hear.</em>\n<em>You almost feel ashamed, that someone could be that important, </em>\n<em>that without them, you feel like nothing.</em>\n<em>Noone will ever understand how much it hurts.</em>\n<em>You feel hopeless, like nothing can save you.</em>\n<em>And when it\'s over, when it\'s gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back, </em>\n<em>so you can have the good.</em>\n\nThe risk of love is in the possibility that someone may not love you back. This is the risk of our humanity.  That God may not love us back.  And when our present circumstances suggest that God has left the building, it\'s hard to hold on.  It\'s hard to','The Salvation Of Love','','inherit','open','open','','2204-revision','','','2011-11-12 11:29:35','2011-11-12 19:29:35','',2204,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2204-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2206,1,'2011-11-12 11:32:19','2011-11-12 19:32:19','','we_found_love','','inherit','open','open','','we_found_love','','','2011-11-12 11:32:19','2011-11-12 19:32:19','',2204,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/we_found_love.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2207,31,'2011-11-13 08:00:38','2011-11-13 16:00:38','The parable of the talents, we have been told, is a parable about personal responsibility, a warning of the terrible consequences of squandering our God-given blessings.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about hard work, about the Protestant Work Ethic and about how God blesses those who tug at their bootstraps hard enough and long enough until they finally step out of the mud and onto solid ground.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about giving back to God, about being good and industrious stewards of financial wealth so that we may return to God that which is God’s.\r\n\r\nThe kingdom of heaven has been like this. But is this what it is supposed to be like?\r\n\r\nIs the kingdom of upward mobility in this parable the same kingdom in which Jesus says the first shall be last? Is the kingdom of heaven a place where those with plenty get even more and those with little will have everything taken from them? Because, wasn’t it Jesus who said it was easier to thread a camel and its hump through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich man to squeeze his bulging pockets through the pearly gates.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/slavery.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"slavery\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/slavery-300x220.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>Jesus said that no one can serve God and wealth, but this passage has been twisted to serve both masters. The morals the Christian tradition has gleaned from this parable, to me, seem to serve the Master Mammon more so than the God of the upside-down kingdom where the poor and oppressed are the kings and the queens.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this isn’t a parable about personal responsibility, about hard work and giving back to God. These are not necessarily bad things. Each of these values has important things to say to us; I just don’t think they are the moral lessons, or at least the only lessons, this parable offers.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about the rich getting richer, about doubling your money and, then, just for good measure, extracting more from the less fortunate.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about protest, about standing up to injustice in spite of the violent, awful consequences from those in power.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about slavery, about people being exploited for prosperity.\r\n\r\nThese three are slaves, not employees. Slaves, not even servants. Their humanity was bought at a price from a slave trader or it was swallowed up in the spoils of war. They were no longer humans. They were a product. When the harsh master upbraids the third slave, he says, in the original language, not “You wicked and lazy slave,” but “You wicked and unprofitable slave.” The slave’s great crime wasn’t his lethargy; it was his lack of profit, his lack of production, because as a slave that was all he was good for, his only measure of worth.\r\n\r\nIt’s difficult for us, in 21st century America, to imagine just how horrible slavery was and just how much it insidiously boiled down, not to race, but to economics.\r\n\r\nIn the 19th century, though, slavery was a way of life in America. If you weren’t a part of the system of slavery in the South, then you were tainted by in the factories in the North that used the cotton and ate the food picked by slaves.\r\n\r\nOur nation’s history is often told from the perspective of the powerful. Though I grew up in the Deep South, I knew little about slavery, other than that it happened, there was a war and it ended. I didn’t know that Reconstruction crumbled by charges set by our own government. I didn’t know about the plantation that changed its name to prison. But recently, I’ve been reading slave narratives<a href=\"http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/wpa/reynold1.html\">, to hear former slaves like Mary Reynolds in their own voice</a><a href=\"http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/wpa/reynold1.html\">s</a>, explain what it was like to be a piece of property.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Mary Reynolds, slavery survivor\"]<a href=\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6S6qsJeYI/AAAAAAAAAEc/KBt7BdUT-Js/s1600-h/reynold1.jpg\"><img style=\"border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px;\" src=\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6S6qsJeYI/AAAAAAAAAEc/KBt7BdUT-Js/s320/reynold1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLike the slaves in the Parable of the Talents, Mary Reynolds had a master who reaped where he did not sow and who likely would have taken pride in his ability to drive deep, motivating fear into those who worked for him. Hearing her story as a slave on a plantation in Black River, Louisiana, might help us to understand this parable from the eyes of the slave, the eyes of the outcasts of society for whom Jesus came:\r\n\r\n“Massa Kilpatrick wasn\'t no piddlin\' man. He was a man of plenty. … It would take two days to go all over the land he owned. He had cattle and stock and sheep and more\'n a hundred slaves and more besides. He bought the bes\' of niggers near every time the spec\'lators come that way. He\'d make a swap of the old ones and give money for young ones what could work.\r\n\r\n\"Slavery was the worst days was ever seed in the world. They was things past tellin\', but I got the scars on my old body to show to this day. I seed worse than what happened to me. I seed them put the men and women in the stock with they hands screwed down through holes in the board and they feets tied together and they naked behinds to the world. Solomon the the [sic] overseer beat them with a big whip and massa look on. The niggers better not stop in the fields when they hear them yellin\'. They cut the flesh most to the bones and some they was when they taken them out of stock and put them on the beds, they never got up again.\r\n\r\n\"We was scart of Solomon and his whip, though, and he didn\'t like frolickin\'. He didn\'t like for us niggers to pray, either. We never heared of no church, but us have prayin\' in the cabins. We\'d set on the floor and pray with our heads down low and sing low, but if Solomon heared he\'d come and beat on the wall with the stock of his whip. He\'d say, I\'ll come in there and tear the hide off you backs.\' But some the old niggers tell us we got to pray to Gawd that he don\'t think different of the blacks and the whites.\r\n\r\n\"We prays for the end of Trib\'lation and the end of beatin\'s and for shoes that fit our feet. We prayed that us niggers could have all we wanted to eat and special for fresh meat. Some the old ones say we have to bear all, cause that all we can do. Some say they was glad to the time they\'s dead, cause they\'d rather rot in the ground than have the beatin\'s. What I hated most was when they\'d beat me and I didn\'t know what they beat me for, and I hated they strippin\' me naked as the day I was born.\"\r\n\r\nI share this story not because it is so shocking, but because I think when we hear this story and re-read the parable, it changes the meaning in a very profound way.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"266\" caption=\"How to Earn A Profit\"]<a href=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SgJeZN2I/AAAAAAAAAEM/5SrLOwWnjaQ/s1600-h/HW0051.JPG\"><img style=\"border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px;\" src=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SgJeZN2I/AAAAAAAAAEM/5SrLOwWnjaQ/s320/HW0051.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSlavery, whether in antiquity or in America, was an engine for the rich to build their wealth, using the souls of their slaves as fuel. On the scar-stripped skin of slaves, injustice and brutality was spun into gold, into silver, into talents -- the equivalent of 15 years of work. So how would the good and faithful slaves double that much money so quickly?\r\n\r\nPerhaps, they followed their master’s lead. Maybe they sowed where they did not reap. Knowing what was expected of them by the harsh master, perhaps they drove their fellow slaves harder and longer under threat of the stone-tipped whip. Maybe they chopped up families, selling the elderly for younger workers who could build more, grow more and pick more.\r\n\r\nIn a slave-based economy, any gain came at the cost of humanity, both of the slave and the enslaver.\r\n\r\nThe third slave, however, refuses. Read in the context of slavery, his burial of the money is the ultimate act of defiance, an aggressively nonviolent protest that reveals the master’s true identity. And when his master returns, the slave has the courage to speak truth to power.\r\n\r\nHe says, “I knew you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.”\r\n\r\nHis indictment pulls back the curtain on the economic system of injustice and calls the master by his true name: a thief who sows where does not reap, who gathers where he didn’t scatter seed and who harvests the bodies and souls of his slaves. The slave was afraid, afraid for his fellow slaves and for himself.\r\n\r\nThe third slave knows that punishment awaits him. Flogging and torture were always done in full view of other slaves to serve as a warning against insubordination. But the third slave has seen what it costs to turn a profit, and the price is too high, for what would it profit a man if he gained the whole world, but lost his soul.\r\n\r\nThe slave puts his money in the only place where it could do no harm. In the ground. And, he returns it. “Here is your money,” he says. “You have what is yours. And only what is yours. Nothing more. Nothing less. I won’t do your dirty work.”\r\n\r\nUnsurprisingly, the harsh master is furious, and confirms the slave’s characterization of him in word and in deed. He is thrown out, beaten, bloodied, damned to a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Of course, the difference between there and the slave quarters might have been minimal.\r\n\r\nThis, unfortunately, is what the kingdom of heaven has proven so often to be like. When anyone takes a strong, forceful stand for this kingdom of God, the world, built brick by brick, on injustice cannot stomach being shown its truest self. No one can confront the powers that be without the powerful flexing their might in return. King met the assassin’s bullet, Mandela languished in prison, Christ hung on the cross.\r\n\r\nBut there is hope. From King comes a President, rising up from a culture of dogged equality. From Mandela, a dismantling of apartheid and the construction of a mulit-racial government. From Christ’s death, comes our hope that hate, injustice and sin do not have the last word.\r\n\r\nUnless we stand with the third slave, with Christ himself, that beacon of courageous humanity is always doomed to be tossed out by the powers that be. It is easy to get so swept up into a system that does at least as much harm as good. It takes courage to keep awake and not be lulled to sleep by the siren song of power, comfort and consumerism.\r\n\r\nBut this is a parable calling us to wake up and take up our crosses and follow Jesus, even if it leads to unpleasant places. There is so much to stand against; against injustice of hungry mouths in a land of plenty; against the exploitation of men, women and children who, like the slaves who once picked cotton, have their souls stitched into the fabric of so many of my clothes; against laws that tear apart families because of their sexuality or because of their nationality; against the ravenous greed of corporations and the wealthy elite who control our country and the global economy. The third slave challenges us to stand up with more than a sermon, with more than a bumper sticker and to do something… something radical, something together.','Parable of the Talents: A Slave Narrative of Injustice and Oppression','','publish','open','open','','parable-of-the-talents-a-slave-narrative-of-injustice-and-oppression','','','2011-11-12 12:06:22','2011-11-12 20:06:22','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2207',0,'post','',25),(2208,1,'2011-11-12 11:40:43','2011-11-12 19:40:43','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/tg00YEETFzg\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"254\"></iframe>\n\nRihanna has a way of making the most interesting videos about the tension of love. Her video with Eminem, <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U\" target=\"_blank\">Love The Way You Lie</a>, explored a deep tension of trying to love in a broken world.  We live in relationships with people, searching for someone who will love us, who will speak to something deep within our soul that says, \"You are worth it.\" To find it is intoxicating.  It is the ever present feeling of love that comes from the affections of the other. In many ways, to be loved feels like salvation.\n\nBut live in relationship is to feel it is to risk the possibility of losing it.  And when we do, it becomes a place of unspeakable suffering. Was the original love ever true.  The loss of love reminds us of our search, and the original desire that we longed to quench.  It\'s easy to want to hold onto that old memory, desiring to go back to the old places.  In this video <em>We Found Love</em>, a female voice speaks to that tension.  She says:\n\n<em>It\'s like screaming and no one can hear.</em>\n<em>You almost feel ashamed, that someone could be that important, </em>\n<em>that without them, you feel like nothing.</em>\n<em>Noone will ever understand how much it hurts.</em>\n<em>You feel hopeless, like nothing can save you.</em>\n<em>And when it\'s over, when it\'s gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back, </em>\n<em>so you can have the good.</em>\n\nThe risk of love is in the possibility that someone may not love you back. This is also the risk of our humanity, that God may not love us back.  And when our present circumstances suggest that God has left the building, it\'s hard to hold on.  It\'s hard to believe that it was ever true in the first place.\n\nI wonder if this is why it\'s called faith.  Because there is so much more evidence that God is not present in our lives, that the original lie that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%201:31&amp;version=MSG\" target=\"_blank\">we really aren\'t that good</a> is somehow true.','The Salvation Of Love','','inherit','open','open','','2204-revision-2','','','2011-11-12 11:40:43','2011-11-12 19:40:43','',2204,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2204-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2209,1,'2011-11-12 11:41:36','2011-11-12 19:41:36','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/tg00YEETFzg\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"254\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nRihanna has a way of making the most interesting videos about the tension of love. Her video with Eminem, <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U\" target=\"_blank\">Love The Way You Lie</a>, explored a deep tension of trying to love in a broken world.  We live in relationships with people, searching for someone who will love us, who will speak to something deep within our soul that says, \"You are worth it.\" To find it is intoxicating.  It is the ever present feeling of love that comes from the affections of the other. In many ways, to be loved feels like salvation.\r\n\r\nBut live in relationship is to feel it is to risk the possibility of losing it.  And when we do, it becomes a place of unspeakable suffering. Was the original love ever true.  The loss of love reminds us of our search, and the original desire that we longed to quench.  It\'s easy to want to hold onto that old memory, desiring to go back to the old places.  In this video <em>We Found Love</em>, a female voice speaks to that tension.  She says:\r\n\r\n<em>It\'s like screaming and no one can hear.</em>\r\n<em>You almost feel ashamed, that someone could be that important, </em>\r\n<em>that without them, you feel like nothing.</em>\r\n<em>Noone will ever understand how much it hurts.</em>\r\n<em>You feel hopeless, like nothing can save you.</em>\r\n<em>And when it\'s over, when it\'s gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back, </em>\r\n<em>so you can have the good.</em>\r\n\r\nThe risk of love is in the possibility that someone may not love you back. This is also the risk of our humanity, that God may not love us back.  And when our present circumstances suggest that God has left the building, it\'s hard to hold on.  It\'s hard to believe that it was ever true in the first place.\r\n\r\nI wonder if this is why it\'s called faith.  Because there is so much more evidence that God is not present in our lives, that the original lie that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%201:31&amp;version=MSG\" target=\"_blank\">we really aren\'t that good</a> is somehow true. Faith requires us to see beyond our present circumstance, pain and suffering to hold onto something magically impossible: that God really loves us even when we don\'t feel it.','The Salvation Of Love','','inherit','open','open','','2204-revision-3','','','2011-11-12 11:41:36','2011-11-12 19:41:36','',2204,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2204-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2210,1,'2011-11-12 11:41:55','2011-11-12 19:41:55','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/tg00YEETFzg\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"254\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nRihanna has a way of making the most interesting videos about the tension of love. Her video with Eminem, <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U\" target=\"_blank\">Love The Way You Lie</a>, explored a deep tension of trying to love in a broken world.  We live in relationships with people, searching for someone who will love us, who will speak to something deep within our soul that says, \"You are worth it.\" To find it is intoxicating.  It is the ever present feeling of love that comes from the affections of the other. In many ways, to be loved feels like salvation.\r\n\r\nBut live in relationship is to feel it is to risk the possibility of losing it.  And when we do, it becomes a place of unspeakable suffering. Was the original love ever true.  The loss of love reminds us of our search, and the original desire that we longed to quench.  It\'s easy to want to hold onto that old memory, desiring to go back to the old places.  In this video <em>We Found Love</em>, a female voice speaks to that tension.  She says:\r\n\r\n<em>It\'s like screaming and no one can hear.</em>\r\n<em>You almost feel ashamed, that someone could be that important, </em>\r\n<em>that without them, you feel like nothing.</em>\r\n<em>No one will ever understand how much it hurts.</em>\r\n<em>You feel hopeless, like nothing can save you.</em>\r\n<em>And when it\'s over, when it\'s gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back, </em>\r\n<em>so you can have the good.</em>\r\n\r\nThe risk of love is in the possibility that someone may not love you back. This is also the risk of our humanity, that God may not love us back.  And when our present circumstances suggest that God has left the building, it\'s hard to hold on.  It\'s hard to believe that it was ever true in the first place.\r\n\r\nI wonder if this is why it\'s called faith.  Because there is so much more evidence that God is not present in our lives, that the original lie that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%201:31&amp;version=MSG\" target=\"_blank\">we really aren\'t that good</a> is somehow true. Faith requires us to see beyond our present circumstance, pain and suffering to hold onto something magically impossible: that God really loves us even when we don\'t feel it.','The Salvation Of Love','','inherit','open','open','','2204-revision-4','','','2011-11-12 11:41:55','2011-11-12 19:41:55','',2204,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2204-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2211,1,'2011-11-12 11:43:18','2011-11-12 19:43:18','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/tg00YEETFzg\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"254\"></iframe>\n\nRihanna has a way of making the most interesting videos about the tension of love. Her video with Eminem, <em><a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U\" target=\"_blank\">Love The Way You Lie</a></em> explored a deep tension of trying to love in a broken world.  We live in relationships with people, searching for someone who will love us, who will speak to something deep within our soul that says, \"You are worth it.\" To find it is intoxicating.  It is the ever present feeling of love that comes from the affections of the other. In many ways, to be loved feels like salvation.\n\nBut live in relationship is to feel it is to risk the possibility of losing it.  And when we do, it becomes a place of unspeakable suffering. Was the original love ever true.  The loss of love reminds us of our search, and the original desire that we longed to quench.  It\'s easy to want to hold onto that old memory, desiring to go back to the old places.  In this video <em>We Found Love</em>, a female voice speaks to that tension.  She says:\n\n<em>It\'s like screaming and no one can hear.</em>\n<em>You almost feel ashamed, that someone could be that important, </em>\n<em>that without them, you feel like nothing.</em>\n<em>No one will ever understand how much it hurts.</em>\n<em>You feel hopeless, like nothing can save you.</em>\n<em>And when it\'s over, when it\'s gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back, </em>\n<em>so you can have the good.</em>\n\nThe risk of love is in the possibility that someone may not love you back. This is also the risk of our humanity, that God may not love us back.  And when our present circumstances suggest that God has left the building, it\'s hard to hold on.  It\'s hard to believe that it was ever true in the first place.\n\nI wonder if this is why it\'s called faith.  Because there is so much more evidence that God is not present in our lives, that the original lie that <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%201:31&amp;version=MSG\" target=\"_blank\">we really aren\'t that good</a> is somehow true. Faith requires us to see beyond our present circumstance, pain and suffering to hold onto something magically impossible: that God really loves us even when we don\'t feel it.','The Salvation Of Love','','inherit','open','open','','2204-autosave','','','2011-11-12 11:43:18','2011-11-12 19:43:18','',2204,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2204-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2212,31,'2011-11-12 11:46:29','2011-11-12 19:46:29','<div>\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\" caption=\"Matthew 25: 14-30 \"]<a href=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SmaWhaUI/AAAAAAAAAEU/x_-bPRAn93I/s1600-h/Image-2.JPG\"><img style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial;border-width: 0px\" src=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SmaWhaUI/AAAAAAAAAEU/x_-bPRAn93I/s400/Image-2.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"294\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"></p>\n\n</div>\nThe parable of the talents, we have been told, is a parable about personal responsibility, a warning of the terrible consequences of squandering our God-given blessings.\n\nThis is a parable about hard work, about the Protestant Work Ethic and about how God blesses those who tug at their bootstraps hard enough and long enough until they finally step out of the mud and onto solid ground.\n\nThis is a parable about giving back to God, about being good and industrious stewards of financial wealth so that we may return to God that which is God’s.\n\nThe kingdom of heaven has been like this. But is this what it is supposed to be like?\n\nIs the kingdom of upward mobility in this parable the same kingdom in which Jesus says the first shall be last? Is the kingdom of heaven a place where those with plenty get even more and those with little will have everything taken from them? Because, wasn’t it Jesus who said it was easier to thread a camel and its hump through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich man to squeeze his bulging pockets through the pearly gates.\n\nJesus said that no one can serve God and wealth, but this passage has been twisted to serve both masters. The morals the Christian tradition has gleaned from this parable, to me, seem to serve the Master Mammon more so than the God of the upside-down kingdom where the poor and oppressed are the kings and the queens.\n\nPerhaps this isn’t a parable about personal responsibility, about hard work and giving back to God. These are not necessarily bad things. Each of these values has important things to say to us; I just don’t think they are the moral lessons, or at least the only lessons, this parable offers.\n\nThis is a parable about the rich getting richer, about doubling your money and, then, just for good measure, extracting more from the less fortunate.\n\nThis is a parable about protest, about standing up to injustice in spite of the violent, awful consequences from those in power.\n\nThis is a parable about slavery, about people being exploited for prosperity.\n\nThese three are slaves, not employees. Slaves, not even servants. Their humanity was bought at a price from a slave trader or it was swallowed up in the spoils of war. They were no longer humans. They were a product. When the harsh master upbraids the third slave, he says, in the original language, not “You wicked and lazy slave,” but “You wicked and unprofitable slave.” The slave’s great crime wasn’t his lethargy; it was his lack of profit, his lack of production, because as a slave that was all he was good for, his only measure of worth.\n\nIt’s difficult for us, in 21st century America, to imagine just how horrible slavery was and just how much it insidiously boiled down, not to race, but to economics.\n\nIn the 19th century, though, slavery was a way of life in America. If you weren’t a part of the system of slavery in the South, then you were tainted by in the factories in the North that used the cotton and ate the food picked by slaves.\n\nOur nation’s history is often told from the perspective of the powerful. Though I grew up in the Deep South, I knew little about slavery, other than that it happened, there was a war and it ended. I didn’t know that Reconstruction crumbled by charges set by our own government. I didn’t know about the plantation that changed its name to prison. But recently, I’ve been reading slave narratives<a href=\"http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/wpa/reynold1.html\">, to hear former slaves like Mary Reynolds in their own voice</a><a href=\"http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/wpa/reynold1.html\">s</a>, explain what it was like to be a piece of property.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Mary Reynolds, slavery survivor\"]<a href=\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6S6qsJeYI/AAAAAAAAAEc/KBt7BdUT-Js/s1600-h/reynold1.jpg\"><img style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial;border-width: 0px\" src=\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6S6qsJeYI/AAAAAAAAAEc/KBt7BdUT-Js/s320/reynold1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nLike the slaves in the Parable of the Talents, Mary Reynolds had a master who reaped where he did not sow and who likely would have taken pride in his ability to drive deep, motivating fear into those who worked for him. Hearing her story as a slave on a plantation in Black River, Louisiana, might help us to understand this parable from the eyes of the slave, the eyes of the outcasts of society for whom Jesus came:\n\n“Massa Kilpatrick wasn\'t no piddlin\' man. He was a man of plenty. … It would take two days to go all over the land he owned. He had cattle and stock and sheep and more\'n a hundred slaves and more besides. He bought the bes\' of niggers near every time the spec\'lators come that way. He\'d make a swap of the old ones and give money for young ones what could work.\n\n\"Slavery was the worst days was ever seed in the world. They was things past tellin\', but I got the scars on my old body to show to this day. I seed worse than what happened to me. I seed them put the men and women in the stock with they hands screwed down through holes in the board and they feets tied together and they naked behinds to the world. Solomon the the [sic] overseer beat them with a big whip and massa look on. The niggers better not stop in the fields when they hear them yellin\'. They cut the flesh most to the bones and some they was when they taken them out of stock and put them on the beds, they never got up again.\n\n\"We was scart of Solomon and his whip, though, and he didn\'t like frolickin\'. He didn\'t like for us niggers to pray, either. We never heared of no church, but us have prayin\' in the cabins. We\'d set on the floor and pray with our heads down low and sing low, but if Solomon heared he\'d come and beat on the wall with the stock of his whip. He\'d say, I\'ll come in there and tear the hide off you backs.\' But some the old niggers tell us we got to pray to Gawd that he don\'t think different of the blacks and the whites.\n\n\"We prays for the end of Trib\'lation and the end of beatin\'s and for shoes that fit our feet. We prayed that us niggers could have all we wanted to eat and special for fresh meat. Some the old ones say we have to bear all, cause that all we can do. Some say they was glad to the time they\'s dead, cause they\'d rather rot in the ground than have the beatin\'s. What I hated most was when they\'d beat me and I didn\'t know what they beat me for, and I hated they strippin\' me naked as the day I was born.\"\n\nI share this story not because it is so shocking, but because I think when we hear this story and re-read the parable, it changes the meaning in a very profound way.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"266\" caption=\"How to Earn A Profit\"]<a href=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SgJeZN2I/AAAAAAAAAEM/5SrLOwWnjaQ/s1600-h/HW0051.JPG\"><img style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial;border-width: 0px\" src=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SgJeZN2I/AAAAAAAAAEM/5SrLOwWnjaQ/s320/HW0051.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nSlavery, whether in antiquity or in America, was an engine for the rich to build their wealth, using the souls of their slaves as fuel. On the scar-stripped skin of slaves, injustice and brutality was spun into gold, into silver, into talents -- the equivalent of 15 years of work. So how would the good and faithful slaves double that much money so quickly?\n\nPerhaps, they followed their master’s lead. Maybe they sowed where they did not reap. Knowing what was expected of them by the harsh master, perhaps they drove their fellow slaves harder and longer under threat of the stone-tipped whip. Maybe they chopped up families, selling the elderly for younger workers who could build more, grow more and pick more.\n\nIn a slave-based economy, any gain came at the cost of humanity, both of the slave and the enslaver.\n\nThe third slave, however, refuses. Read in the context of slavery, his burial of the money is the ultimate act of defiance, an aggressively nonviolent protest that reveals the master’s true identity. And when his master returns, the slave has the courage to speak truth to power.\n\nHe says, “I knew you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.”\n\nHis indictment pulls back the curtain on the economic system of injustice and calls the master by his true name: a thief who sows where does not reap, who gathers where he didn’t scatter seed and who harvests the bodies and souls of his slaves. The slave was afraid, afraid for his fellow slaves and for himself.\n\nThe third slave knows that punishment awaits him. Flogging and torture were always done in full view of other slaves to serve as a warning against insubordination. But the third slave has seen what it costs to turn a profit, and the price is too high, for what would it profit a man if he gained the whole world, but lost his soul.\n\nThe slave puts his money in the only place where it could do no harm. In the ground. And, he returns it. “Here is your money,” he says. “You have what is yours. And only what is yours. Nothing more. Nothing less. I won’t do your dirty work.”\n\nUnsurprisingly, the harsh master is furious, and confirms the slave’s characterization of him in word and in deed. He is thrown out, beaten, bloodied, damned to a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Of course, the difference between there and the slave quarters might have been minimal.\n\nThis, unfortunately, is what the kingdom of heaven has proven so often to be like. When anyone takes a strong, forceful stand for this kingdom of God, the world, built brick by brick, on injustice cannot stomach being shown its truest self. No one can confront the powers that be without the powerful flexing their might in return. King met the assassin’s bullet, Mandela languished in prison, Christ hung on the cross.\n\nBut there is hope. From King comes a President, rising up from a culture of dogged equality. From Mandela, a dismantling of apartheid and the construction of a mulit-racial government. From Christ’s death, comes our hope that hate, injustice and sin do not have the last word.\n\nUnless we stand with the third slave, with Christ himself, that beacon of courageous humanity is always doomed to be tossed out by the powers that be. It is easy to get so swept up into a system that does at least as much harm as good. It takes courage to keep awake and not be lulled to sleep by the siren song of power, comfort and consumerism.\n\nBut this is a parable calling us to wake up and take up our crosses and follow Jesus, even if it leads to unpleasant places. There is so much to stand against; against injustice of hungry mouths in a land of plenty; against the exploitation of men, women and children who, like the slaves who once picked cotton, have their souls stitched into the fabric of so many of my clothes; against laws that tear apart families because of their sexuality or because of their nationality; against the ravenous greed of corporations and the wealthy elite who control our country and the global economy. The third slave challenges us to stand up with more than a sermon, with more than a bumper sticker and to do something… something radical, something together.','Parable of the Talents: A Slave Narrative of Inj','','inherit','open','open','','2207-revision','','','2011-11-12 11:46:29','2011-11-12 19:46:29','',2207,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2207-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2217,0,'2011-11-13 04:12:14','2011-11-13 12:12:14','Hi - loved your post \"The Lexicons of Faith\" what are your feelings on it being used as a guest post on my blog? I\'m completely ok with the answer \"No\" :) But thank you - I am so glad I discovered you.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Marilyn Gardner\nAUTHOR EMAIL: marilyngardner5@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com\nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Happy Valley Under a Cloud\nIP: 65.96.165.44\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Marilyn Gardner\n    [Email] =&gt; marilyngardner5@gmail.com\n    [Website] =&gt; http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com\n    [Message] =&gt; Hi - loved your post \"The Lexicons of Faith\" what are your feelings on it being used as a guest post on my blog? I\'m completely ok with the answer \"No\" :) But thank you - I am so glad I discovered you. \n)\n','Marilyn Gardner - 2011-11-13 04:12:14','','publish','open','open','','e794d9f75812286249ace6e670761ff9','','','2011-11-13 04:12:14','2011-11-13 12:12:14','',2133,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=2217',0,'feedback','',0),(2213,31,'2011-11-17 11:36:15','2011-11-17 19:36:15','The parable of the talents, we have been told, is a parable about personal responsibility, a warning of the terrible consequences of squandering our God-given blessings.\n\nThis is a parable about hard work, about the Protestant Work Ethic and about how God blesses those who tug at their bootstraps hard enough and long enough until they finally step out of the mud and onto solid ground.\n\nThis is a parable about giving back to God, about being good and industrious stewards of financial wealth so that we may return to God that which is God’s.\n\nThe kingdom of heaven has been like this. But is this what it is supposed to be like?\n\nIs the kingdom of upward mobility in this parable the same kingdom in which Jesus says the first shall be last? Is the kingdom of heaven a place where those with plenty get even more and those with little will have everything taken from them? Because, wasn’t it Jesus who said it was easier to thread a camel and its hump through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich man to squeeze his bulging pockets through the pearly gates.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/slavery.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/slavery-300x220.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>Jesus said that no one can serve God and wealth, but this passage has been twisted to serve both masters. The morals the Christian tradition has gleaned from this parable, to me, seem to serve the Master Mammon more so than the God of the upside-down kingdom where the poor and oppressed are the kings and the queens.\n\nPerhaps this isn’t a parable about personal responsibility, about hard work and giving back to God. These are not necessarily bad things. Each of these values has important things to say to us; I just don’t think they are the moral lessons, or at least the only lessons, this parable offers.\n\nThis is a parable about the rich getting richer, about doubling your money and, then, just for good measure, extracting more from the less fortunate.\n\nThis is a parable about protest, about standing up to injustice in spite of the violent, awful consequences from those in power.\n\nThis is a parable about slavery, about people being exploited for prosperity.\n\nThese three are slaves, not employees. Slaves, not even servants. Their humanity was bought at a price from a slave trader or it was swallowed up in the spoils of war. They were no longer humans. They were a product. When the harsh master upbraids the third slave, he says, in the original language, not “You wicked and lazy slave,” but “You wicked and unprofitable slave.” The slave’s great crime wasn’t his lethargy; it was his lack of profit, his lack of production, because as a slave that was all he was good for, his only measure of worth.\n\nIt’s difficult for us, in 21st century America, to imagine just how horrible slavery was and just how much it insidiously boiled down, not to race, but to economics.\n\nIn the 19th century, though, slavery was a way of life in America. If you weren’t a part of the system of slavery in the South, then you were tainted by in the factories in the North that used the cotton and ate the food picked by slaves.\n\nOur nation’s history is often told from the perspective of the powerful. Though I grew up in the Deep South, I knew little about slavery, other than that it happened, there was a war and it ended. I didn’t know that Reconstruction crumbled by charges set by our own government. I didn’t know about the plantation that changed its name to prison. But recently, I’ve been reading slave narratives<a href=\"http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/wpa/reynold1.html\">, to hear former slaves like Mary Reynolds in their own voice</a><a href=\"http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/wpa/reynold1.html\">s</a>, explain what it was like to be a piece of property.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Mary Reynolds, slavery survivor\"]<a href=\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6S6qsJeYI/AAAAAAAAAEc/KBt7BdUT-Js/s1600-h/reynold1.jpg\"><img style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial;border-width: 0px\" src=\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6S6qsJeYI/AAAAAAAAAEc/KBt7BdUT-Js/s320/reynold1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nLike the slaves in the Parable of the Talents, Mary Reynolds had a master who reaped where he did not sow and who likely would have taken pride in his ability to drive deep, motivating fear into those who worked for him. Hearing her story as a slave on a plantation in Black River, Louisiana, might help us to understand this parable from the eyes of the slave, the eyes of the outcasts of society for whom Jesus came:\n\n“Massa Kilpatrick wasn\'t no piddlin\' man. He was a man of plenty. … It would take two days to go all over the land he owned. He had cattle and stock and sheep and more\'n a hundred slaves and more besides. He bought the bes\' of niggers near every time the spec\'lators come that way. He\'d make a swap of the old ones and give money for young ones what could work.\n\n\"Slavery was the worst days was ever seed in the world. They was things past tellin\', but I got the scars on my old body to show to this day. I seed worse than what happened to me. I seed them put the men and women in the stock with they hands screwed down through holes in the board and they feets tied together and they naked behinds to the world. Solomon the the [sic] overseer beat them with a big whip and massa look on. The niggers better not stop in the fields when they hear them yellin\'. They cut the flesh most to the bones and some they was when they taken them out of stock and put them on the beds, they never got up again.\n\n\"We was scart of Solomon and his whip, though, and he didn\'t like frolickin\'. He didn\'t like for us niggers to pray, either. We never heared of no church, but us have prayin\' in the cabins. We\'d set on the floor and pray with our heads down low and sing low, but if Solomon heared he\'d come and beat on the wall with the stock of his whip. He\'d say, I\'ll come in there and tear the hide off you backs.\' But some the old niggers tell us we got to pray to Gawd that he don\'t think different of the blacks and the whites.\n\n\"We prays for the end of Trib\'lation and the end of beatin\'s and for shoes that fit our feet. We prayed that us niggers could have all we wanted to eat and special for fresh meat. Some the old ones say we have to bear all, cause that all we can do. Some say they was glad to the time they\'s dead, cause they\'d rather rot in the ground than have the beatin\'s. What I hated most was when they\'d beat me and I didn\'t know what they beat me for, and I hated they strippin\' me naked as the day I was born.\"\n\nI share this story not because it is so shocking, but because I think when we hear this story and re-read the parable, it changes the meaning in a very profound way.\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"266\" caption=\"How to Earn A Profit\"]<a href=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SgJeZN2I/AAAAAAAAAEM/5SrLOwWnjaQ/s1600-h/HW0051.JPG\"><img style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial;border-width: 0px\" src=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SgJeZN2I/AAAAAAAAAEM/5SrLOwWnjaQ/s320/HW0051.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nSlavery, whether in antiquity or in America, was an engine for the rich to build their wealth, using the souls of their slaves as fuel. On the scar-stripped skin of slaves, injustice and brutality was spun into gold, into silver, into talents -- the equivalent of 15 years of work. So how would the good and faithful slaves double that much money so quickly?\n\nPerhaps, they followed their master’s lead. Maybe they sowed where they did not reap. Knowing what was expected of them by the harsh master, perhaps they drove their fellow slaves harder and longer under threat of the stone-tipped whip. Maybe they chopped up families, selling the elderly for younger workers who could build more, grow more and pick more.\n\nIn a slave-based economy, any gain came at the cost of humanity, both of the slave and the enslaver.\n\nThe third slave, however, refuses. Read in the context of slavery, his burial of the money is the ultimate act of defiance, an aggressively nonviolent protest that reveals the master’s true identity. And when his master returns, the slave has the courage to speak truth to power.\n\nHe says, “I knew you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.”\n\nHis indictment pulls back the curtain on the economic system of injustice and calls the master by his true name: a thief who sows where does not reap, who gathers where he didn’t scatter seed and who harvests the bodies and souls of his slaves. The slave was afraid, afraid for his fellow slaves and for himself.\n\nThe third slave knows that punishment awaits him. Flogging and torture were always done in full view of other slaves to serve as a warning against insubordination. But the third slave has seen what it costs to turn a profit, and the price is too high, for what would it profit a man if he gained the whole world, but lost his soul.\n\nThe slave puts his money in the only place where it could do no harm. In the ground. And, he returns it. “Here is your money,” he says. “You have what is yours. And only what is yours. Nothing more. Nothing less. I won’t do your dirty work.”\n\nUnsurprisingly, the harsh master is furious, and confirms the slave’s characterization of him in word and in deed. He is thrown out, beaten, bloodied, damned to a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Of course, the difference between there and the slave quarters might have been minimal.\n\nThis, unfortunately, is what the kingdom of heaven has proven so often to be like. When anyone takes a strong, forceful stand for this kingdom of God, the world, built brick by brick, on injustice cannot stomach being shown its truest self. No one can confront the powers that be without the powerful flexing their might in return. King met the assassin’s bullet, Mandela languished in prison, Christ hung on the cross.\n\nBut there is hope. From King comes a President, rising up from a culture of dogged equality. From Mandela, a dismantling of apartheid and the construction of a mulit-racial government. From Christ’s death, comes our hope that hate, injustice and sin do not have the last word.\n\nUnless we stand with the third slave, with Christ himself, that beacon of courageous humanity is always doomed to be tossed out by the powers that be. It is easy to get so swept up into a system that does at least as much harm as good. It takes courage to keep awake and not be lulled to sleep by the siren song of power, comfort and consumerism.\n\nBut this is a parable calling us to wake up and take up our crosses and follow Jesus, even if it leads to unpleasant places. There is so much to stand against; against injustice of hungry mouths in a land of plenty; against the exploitation of men, women and children who, like the slaves who once picked cotton, have their souls stitched into the fabric of so many of my clothes; against laws that tear apart families because of their sexuality or because of their nationality; against the ravenous greed of corporations and the wealthy elite who control our country and the global economy. The third slave challenges us to stand up with more than a sermon, with more than a bumper sticker and to do something… something radical, something together.','Parable of the Talents: A Slave Narrative of Injustice and Oppression','','inherit','open','open','','2207-autosave','','','2011-11-17 11:36:15','2011-11-17 19:36:15','',2207,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2207-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2215,1,'2011-11-12 12:05:06','2011-11-12 20:05:06','','Slave_And_Master','','inherit','open','open','','slave_and_master','','','2011-11-12 12:05:06','2011-11-12 20:05:06','',2207,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Slave_And_Master.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(2214,1,'2011-11-12 11:54:47','2011-11-12 19:54:47','','slavery','','inherit','open','open','','slavery','','','2011-11-12 11:54:47','2011-11-12 19:54:47','',2207,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/slavery.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2216,1,'2011-11-12 11:46:33','2011-11-12 19:46:33','<div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\" caption=\"Matthew 25: 14-30 \"]<a href=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SmaWhaUI/AAAAAAAAAEU/x_-bPRAn93I/s1600-h/Image-2.JPG\"><img style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial;border-width: 0px\" src=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SmaWhaUI/AAAAAAAAAEU/x_-bPRAn93I/s400/Image-2.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"294\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\nThe parable of the talents, we have been told, is a parable about personal responsibility, a warning of the terrible consequences of squandering our God-given blessings.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about hard work, about the Protestant Work Ethic and about how God blesses those who tug at their bootstraps hard enough and long enough until they finally step out of the mud and onto solid ground.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about giving back to God, about being good and industrious stewards of financial wealth so that we may return to God that which is God’s.\r\n\r\nThe kingdom of heaven has been like this. But is this what it is supposed to be like?\r\n\r\nIs the kingdom of upward mobility in this parable the same kingdom in which Jesus says the first shall be last? Is the kingdom of heaven a place where those with plenty get even more and those with little will have everything taken from them? Because, wasn’t it Jesus who said it was easier to thread a camel and its hump through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich man to squeeze his bulging pockets through the pearly gates.\r\n\r\nJesus said that no one can serve God and wealth, but this passage has been twisted to serve both masters. The morals the Christian tradition has gleaned from this parable, to me, seem to serve the Master Mammon more so than the God of the upside-down kingdom where the poor and oppressed are the kings and the queens.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this isn’t a parable about personal responsibility, about hard work and giving back to God. These are not necessarily bad things. Each of these values has important things to say to us; I just don’t think they are the moral lessons, or at least the only lessons, this parable offers.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about the rich getting richer, about doubling your money and, then, just for good measure, extracting more from the less fortunate.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about protest, about standing up to injustice in spite of the violent, awful consequences from those in power.\r\n\r\nThis is a parable about slavery, about people being exploited for prosperity.\r\n\r\nThese three are slaves, not employees. Slaves, not even servants. Their humanity was bought at a price from a slave trader or it was swallowed up in the spoils of war. They were no longer humans. They were a product. When the harsh master upbraids the third slave, he says, in the original language, not “You wicked and lazy slave,” but “You wicked and unprofitable slave.” The slave’s great crime wasn’t his lethargy; it was his lack of profit, his lack of production, because as a slave that was all he was good for, his only measure of worth.\r\n\r\nIt’s difficult for us, in 21st century America, to imagine just how horrible slavery was and just how much it insidiously boiled down, not to race, but to economics.\r\n\r\nIn the 19th century, though, slavery was a way of life in America. If you weren’t a part of the system of slavery in the South, then you were tainted by in the factories in the North that used the cotton and ate the food picked by slaves.\r\n\r\nOur nation’s history is often told from the perspective of the powerful. Though I grew up in the Deep South, I knew little about slavery, other than that it happened, there was a war and it ended. I didn’t know that Reconstruction crumbled by charges set by our own government. I didn’t know about the plantation that changed its name to prison. But recently, I’ve been reading slave narratives<a href=\"http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/wpa/reynold1.html\">, to hear former slaves like Mary Reynolds in their own voice</a><a href=\"http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/wpa/reynold1.html\">s</a>, explain what it was like to be a piece of property.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Mary Reynolds, slavery survivor\"]<a href=\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6S6qsJeYI/AAAAAAAAAEc/KBt7BdUT-Js/s1600-h/reynold1.jpg\"><img style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial;border-width: 0px\" src=\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6S6qsJeYI/AAAAAAAAAEc/KBt7BdUT-Js/s320/reynold1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLike the slaves in the Parable of the Talents, Mary Reynolds had a master who reaped where he did not sow and who likely would have taken pride in his ability to drive deep, motivating fear into those who worked for him. Hearing her story as a slave on a plantation in Black River, Louisiana, might help us to understand this parable from the eyes of the slave, the eyes of the outcasts of society for whom Jesus came:\r\n\r\n“Massa Kilpatrick wasn\'t no piddlin\' man. He was a man of plenty. … It would take two days to go all over the land he owned. He had cattle and stock and sheep and more\'n a hundred slaves and more besides. He bought the bes\' of niggers near every time the spec\'lators come that way. He\'d make a swap of the old ones and give money for young ones what could work.\r\n\r\n\"Slavery was the worst days was ever seed in the world. They was things past tellin\', but I got the scars on my old body to show to this day. I seed worse than what happened to me. I seed them put the men and women in the stock with they hands screwed down through holes in the board and they feets tied together and they naked behinds to the world. Solomon the the [sic] overseer beat them with a big whip and massa look on. The niggers better not stop in the fields when they hear them yellin\'. They cut the flesh most to the bones and some they was when they taken them out of stock and put them on the beds, they never got up again.\r\n\r\n\"We was scart of Solomon and his whip, though, and he didn\'t like frolickin\'. He didn\'t like for us niggers to pray, either. We never heared of no church, but us have prayin\' in the cabins. We\'d set on the floor and pray with our heads down low and sing low, but if Solomon heared he\'d come and beat on the wall with the stock of his whip. He\'d say, I\'ll come in there and tear the hide off you backs.\' But some the old niggers tell us we got to pray to Gawd that he don\'t think different of the blacks and the whites.\r\n\r\n\"We prays for the end of Trib\'lation and the end of beatin\'s and for shoes that fit our feet. We prayed that us niggers could have all we wanted to eat and special for fresh meat. Some the old ones say we have to bear all, cause that all we can do. Some say they was glad to the time they\'s dead, cause they\'d rather rot in the ground than have the beatin\'s. What I hated most was when they\'d beat me and I didn\'t know what they beat me for, and I hated they strippin\' me naked as the day I was born.\"\r\n\r\nI share this story not because it is so shocking, but because I think when we hear this story and re-read the parable, it changes the meaning in a very profound way.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"266\" caption=\"How to Earn A Profit\"]<a href=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SgJeZN2I/AAAAAAAAAEM/5SrLOwWnjaQ/s1600-h/HW0051.JPG\"><img style=\"border-style: initial;border-color: initial;border-width: 0px\" src=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hZiYShZY2LU/SR6SgJeZN2I/AAAAAAAAAEM/5SrLOwWnjaQ/s320/HW0051.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSlavery, whether in antiquity or in America, was an engine for the rich to build their wealth, using the souls of their slaves as fuel. On the scar-stripped skin of slaves, injustice and brutality was spun into gold, into silver, into talents -- the equivalent of 15 years of work. So how would the good and faithful slaves double that much money so quickly?\r\n\r\nPerhaps, they followed their master’s lead. Maybe they sowed where they did not reap. Knowing what was expected of them by the harsh master, perhaps they drove their fellow slaves harder and longer under threat of the stone-tipped whip. Maybe they chopped up families, selling the elderly for younger workers who could build more, grow more and pick more.\r\n\r\nIn a slave-based economy, any gain came at the cost of humanity, both of the slave and the enslaver.\r\n\r\nThe third slave, however, refuses. Read in the context of slavery, his burial of the money is the ultimate act of defiance, an aggressively nonviolent protest that reveals the master’s true identity. And when his master returns, the slave has the courage to speak truth to power.\r\n\r\nHe says, “I knew you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.”\r\n\r\nHis indictment pulls back the curtain on the economic system of injustice and calls the master by his true name: a thief who sows where does not reap, who gathers where he didn’t scatter seed and who harvests the bodies and souls of his slaves. The slave was afraid, afraid for his fellow slaves and for himself.\r\n\r\nThe third slave knows that punishment awaits him. Flogging and torture were always done in full view of other slaves to serve as a warning against insubordination. But the third slave has seen what it costs to turn a profit, and the price is too high, for what would it profit a man if he gained the whole world, but lost his soul.\r\n\r\nThe slave puts his money in the only place where it could do no harm. In the ground. And, he returns it. “Here is your money,” he says. “You have what is yours. And only what is yours. Nothing more. Nothing less. I won’t do your dirty work.”\r\n\r\nUnsurprisingly, the harsh master is furious, and confirms the slave’s characterization of him in word and in deed. He is thrown out, beaten, bloodied, damned to a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Of course, the difference between there and the slave quarters might have been minimal.\r\n\r\nThis, unfortunately, is what the kingdom of heaven has proven so often to be like. When anyone takes a strong, forceful stand for this kingdom of God, the world, built brick by brick, on injustice cannot stomach being shown its truest self. No one can confront the powers that be without the powerful flexing their might in return. King met the assassin’s bullet, Mandela languished in prison, Christ hung on the cross.\r\n\r\nBut there is hope. From King comes a President, rising up from a culture of dogged equality. From Mandela, a dismantling of apartheid and the construction of a mulit-racial government. From Christ’s death, comes our hope that hate, injustice and sin do not have the last word.\r\n\r\nUnless we stand with the third slave, with Christ himself, that beacon of courageous humanity is always doomed to be tossed out by the powers that be. It is easy to get so swept up into a system that does at least as much harm as good. It takes courage to keep awake and not be lulled to sleep by the siren song of power, comfort and consumerism.\r\n\r\nBut this is a parable calling us to wake up and take up our crosses and follow Jesus, even if it leads to unpleasant places. There is so much to stand against; against injustice of hungry mouths in a land of plenty; against the exploitation of men, women and children who, like the slaves who once picked cotton, have their souls stitched into the fabric of so many of my clothes; against laws that tear apart families because of their sexuality or because of their nationality; against the ravenous greed of corporations and the wealthy elite who control our country and the global economy. The third slave challenges us to stand up with more than a sermon, with more than a bumper sticker and to do something… something radical, something together.','Parable of the Talents: A Slave Narrative of Injustice and Oppression','','inherit','open','open','','2207-revision-2','','','2011-11-12 11:46:33','2011-11-12 19:46:33','',2207,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2207-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2218,12,'2011-11-12 08:03:52','2011-11-12 16:03:52','I love blogging. I love reading other blogs.\r\n\r\nBut there seems to be a strange movement for the past few years to prove one\'s opposition to a certain movement or theological stance. Writers take to the blogosphere and write articles against certain movements and title them, \"Why I\'m not a _____________.\"\r\n\r\nLet me give an example that is not personal to me. For instance, let\'s say a blogger is a hardcore believer in the Dewey Decimal system. (You\'re going to have to trust me on this example.) They hate the Library of Congress cataloging system of filing books in the local library. This person has a blog and they want the world to know that they absolutely <strong><em>hate</em></strong> the Library of Congress system of cataloging books.\r\n\r\nOn their blog, they post the following entry: \"Why I\'m NOT a Library of Congress Cataloger: Point 1 - First of all - blah blah blah\"\r\n\r\nThere\'s a dearth of it out there. It\'s a new polemic. People seem to want to argue why <em>they\'re not something</em>. Oh yeah. It makes for good material. People want to tell you all day why they\'re not \"Calvinist, emergent, fundamentalist, Baptist, Methodist, denominationalist, Democrat, Republican, Armenian, post-modernist, public schooled, home schooled, federally funded, pro-life, pro-abortion, pro-gambling, anti-gambling, blah blah blah blah, whatever.\"\r\n\r\nEvery time I see a blog like that I\'m reminded of Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:16-19:  <em>I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves!\"</em>\r\n\r\nPaul was defending his Apostleship. He wasn\'t telling them what he <em>wasn\'t</em>. He was telling them what he <em>was</em>.\r\n\r\nFor some reason, I believe it\'s a whole lot easier to tell people what you are that to tell people what you aren\'t. When we delve into the realm of what we aren\'t, it begins to smack of a bit of self-righteousness. If we have a problem with someone\'s beliefs, them we need to approach them directly. Masking our issues with someone else\'s beliefs with our own self-doubt is a problem.\r\n\r\nStand firm with your beliefs if that\'s where you are, but be open to listen to others. We\'re all on a journey and can at least have respect to listen to other people. A wonderful place to start is to engage others in conversation in commonality, compassion and working from there. .\r\n\r\nBeginning with \"I\'m not a ________ because of the following 10 reasons\" is not a great place to start a dialogue.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','\"Why I\'m Not a ___________\" and the New Polemic','','inherit','open','open','','2030-revision-4','','','2011-11-12 08:03:52','2011-11-12 16:03:52','',2030,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2030-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2219,0,'2011-11-13 23:40:01','2011-11-14 07:40:01','Life: Family \r\nFaith: Theology (Overcoming Legalism, Discovering who the real Jesus is)\r\nJustice: Gender Equality\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Renee Ronika Klug\nAUTHOR EMAIL: reneeronika@hotmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://quietanthem.blogspot.com/\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 75.71.99.63\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Renee Ronika Klug\n    [Email] =&gt; reneeronika@hotmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://quietanthem.blogspot.com/\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Life: Family \r\nFaith: Theology (Overcoming Legalism, Discovering who the real Jesus is)\r\nJustice: Gender Equality \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; reneeronikaklug\n)\n','Renee Ronika Klug - 2011-11-13 23:40:01','','publish','open','open','','6b1a6e9dcfdb13dcbb38b547a9a6d460','','','2011-11-13 23:40:01','2011-11-14 07:40:01','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=2219',0,'feedback','',0),(2222,96,'2011-11-14 07:26:19','2011-11-14 15:26:19','A year ago my husband and I did a 4-part series on Islam at a large church in the greater Boston area. We had been asked to do the series for a couple of reasons, one being my husband\'s position as an Administrative officer for an Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University. The second, more important reason was our background of living in the Middle East and Pakistan and our work and friendships with Muslims for many years.\n\nWe knew before beginning the series that we could be walking into difficult territory. The misconceptions and media misinformation on Islam since 9/11 is prolific and we have found few who have traveled, lived and worked in Muslim countries willing to speak into the issue with tru','The Mystery and Miracle of Grace','','inherit','open','open','','2221-revision','','','2011-11-14 07:26:19','2011-11-14 15:26:19','',2221,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2221-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2223,1,'2011-11-11 11:23:03','2011-11-11 19:23:03','[caption id=\"attachment_2139\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\" caption=\"Dr. Carl Bradley\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/carl-bradley-300x400-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2139\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nDr. Bradley, is a man of many hats. \r\n\r\nHe\'s an educator, a former school administrator and he’s been a church organist for most of his life. \r\n\r\nHe shares that while he initially felt called “into the ministry” he discovered that “ministry” encompasses so much more than just a 9-5 job at the local church.\r\n\r\n[audio http://somethingbeautifulpodcast.com/podcast/111111.mp3]','Something Beautiful - Dr. Carl Bradley','','inherit','open','open','','2138-revision-8','','','2011-11-11 11:23:03','2011-11-11 19:23:03','',2138,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2138-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(2224,1,'2011-11-12 07:14:26','2011-11-12 15:14:26','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\r\n\r\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable environments.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\r\n\r\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Read a non-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work, and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Raving-Fans-Revolutionary-Approach-Customer/dp/0688123163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321110678&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\">Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard</a> is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\r\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\r\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Do employees work in unsafe conditions? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-10','','','2011-11-12 07:14:26','2011-11-12 15:14:26','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/12/2184-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(2225,1,'2011-11-14 08:32:05','2011-11-14 16:32:05','Far too many work environments in our time and place  are cesspools of mediocrity.  It wasn’t always this way, but in recent generations, something dreadful has happened to the work ethic of our society. Every so often you hear of a company or an organization that grabs headlines, generates buzz about performing at the top of their industry, and becomes known as a place with very low turnover and a line of applicants desperate to get through the door. They are a rare find.\n\nBut even in the countless places where dreams of excellence go to die, you’ll find people who are just…weird.  They’re weird because they are remarkable performers in dreadfully unremarkable environments.  Mediocrity is a strong undertow in these places that can pull under even the most professionally valiant.  Yet some manage to keep their heads above water and not only survive, but swim strongly against the current.  They are looked down upon by colleagues who prefer the mind-numbing mediocrity they’ve created.  They are the topic of toxic conversations in the break room.  People wish they would surrender to the status quo or simply go away so that any threat of the bar being raised for everyone else would be eliminated.  Some do, and go silently into the night.  Some stay strong.  And every so often one or two “weird” people manage to bring enough freshness, creativity, and positive energy into the environment that the waters are cleansed, the toxicity is neutralized, and excellence goes viral.\n\nAs you begin a new workweek, give some thought to ways that you can introduce healing “weirdness” to your mediocre workplace. Tell us in the comment section what you came up with. Here are three suggestions to prime the pump:\n<ol>\n	<li>Read a non-fiction book, on your own time, that applies to your work, and identify a dozen or so principles or practices that you can begin implementing immediately. Need a suggestion? <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Raving-Fans-Revolutionary-Approach-Customer/dp/0688123163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321110678&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\">Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard</a> is a great quick and easy read on the subject of customer service.</li>\n	<li>Commit to finishing every special project given to you by your supervisor <em>ahead</em> of schedule. Late is typical. On-time is expected. Early is delightfully weird.</li>\n	<li>What do you see as a weakness in your company? Are customers chronically unhappy? Do employees work in unsafe conditions? Are there inefficiencies that impact profitability or productivity? Observe them, name them, then approach your supervisor and ask his/her permission to pull together a task force to brainstorm ideas for improvement.</li>\n</ol>\n<div>Okay, it\'s your turn. Business in America needs you to be weird. Go. Now.</div>','There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird','','inherit','open','open','','2184-revision-11','','','2011-11-14 08:32:05','2011-11-14 16:32:05','',2184,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2184-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(2226,1,'2011-11-16 08:09:55','2011-11-16 16:09:55','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry.\n\nThis struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\n\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: \"No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they? Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9).\n\nIronically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  Furthermore, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\n\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px;\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\n\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for three reasons:\n\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\n\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse: in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happen if you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you are a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose cripples their hands, suddenly and permanently unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it can\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment indeed when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\n\n<em></em>Thirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things may happen to good people and good things may happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard, treat others fairly, and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. Meanwhile, \"evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and coast through life without a worry. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the whos or whys of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by what \"happens\" to us, be it good or bad.\n\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\n\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather it must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Finding The Meaning In It All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-autosave','','','2011-11-16 08:09:55','2011-11-16 16:09:55','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2036-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2227,1,'2011-11-11 16:54:11','2011-11-12 00:54:11','There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one\'s life when one asks oneself, \"What\'s the point?\" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon\'s struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.\r\n\r\nIn the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,\"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life\'s work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>\"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.\" (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Ironically, Solomon, who is arguably most well-known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  Furthermore, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.\r\n\r\nBut wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn\'t matter if you try to do the right thing, because, \"All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px\"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them\" (9:2). Solomon\'s complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: \"the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all\" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn\'t appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon\'s struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for three reasons:\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God\'s wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.\r\n\r\nSecondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse: in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happen if you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you are a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose cripples their hands, suddenly and permanently unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it can\'t be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment indeed when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>Thirdly, I find comfort in Solomon\'s observation that bad things may happen to good people and good things may happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, part of me finds this incredibly unfair. \"Good\" people who work hard, treat others fairly, and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. Meanwhile, \"evil\" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and coast through life without a worry. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the whos or whys of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by what \"happens\" to us, be it good or bad.\r\n\r\nAt the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man\'s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.\" (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon\'s conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.\r\n\r\nWe are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather it must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it\'s apparent meaningless at times. He won\'t shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Adventures in Ecclesiastes: Finding the Meaning in it All','','inherit','open','open','','2036-revision-37','','','2011-11-11 16:54:11','2011-11-12 00:54:11','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/11/2036-revision-37/',0,'revision','',0),(2297,1,'2011-11-16 08:14:35','2011-11-16 16:14:35','','Uncensored_Portfolio_Featured_Image_Large','','inherit','open','open','','uncensored_portfolio_featured_image_large','','','2011-11-16 08:14:35','2011-11-16 16:14:35','',2235,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Uncensored_Portfolio_Featured_Image_Large.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2294,1,'2011-11-16 08:08:25','2011-11-16 16:08:25','','meaning_frame','','inherit','open','open','','meaning_frame','','','2011-11-16 08:08:25','2011-11-16 16:08:25','',2036,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/meaning_frame.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(2229,1,'2011-11-15 12:00:52','2011-11-15 20:00:52','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/RS3iB47nQ6E\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"284\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nThis is an awesome reminder to never judge a book by its cover.','Don\'t Judge A Book By Its Cover','','publish','open','open','','dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover','','','2011-11-14 14:31:08','2011-11-14 22:31:08','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2229',0,'post','',2),(2230,1,'2011-11-14 14:29:32','2011-11-14 22:29:32','','Carlsberg_Stunt','','inherit','open','open','','carlsberg_stunt','','','2011-11-14 14:29:32','2011-11-14 22:29:32','',2229,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Carlsberg_Stunt.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(2231,1,'2011-11-14 14:29:03','2011-11-14 22:29:03','','Don\'t Judge A Book By It\'s Cover','','inherit','open','open','','2229-revision','','','2011-11-14 14:29:03','2011-11-14 22:29:03','',2229,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2229-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2232,1,'2011-11-14 14:30:53','2011-11-14 22:30:53','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/RS3iB47nQ6E\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"284\"></iframe>\r\n\r\nThis is an awesome reminder to never judge a book by it\'s cover.','Don\'t Judge A Book By It\'s Cover','','inherit','open','open','','2229-revision-2','','','2011-11-14 14:30:53','2011-11-14 22:30:53','',2229,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2229-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2233,1,'2011-11-14 14:32:13','2011-11-14 22:32:13','<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/RS3iB47nQ6E\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"500\" height=\"284\"></iframe>\n\nThis is an awesome reminder to never judge a book by its cover.','Don\'t Judge A Book By Its Cover','','inherit','open','open','','2229-autosave','','','2011-11-14 14:32:13','2011-11-14 22:32:13','',2229,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2229-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2234,0,'2011-11-14 15:15:51','2011-11-14 23:15:51','Hi! I just read David Henson\'s post on the parable of the talents and was intrigued by his thesis. Thanks for putting up such thought-provoking (heh heh) material!\r\n\r\nSo, would you be open to receiving review copies from InterVarsity Press from time to time? If so, I can handpick titles that would be of interest to your audience. I\'d also be happy to recommend select authors as possible contributors to the magazine. In short, please let me know how I can help you!\r\n\r\nYours,\r\nAdrianna\r\nwww.facebook.com/adriannafwright\r\nwww.twitter.com/adriannawright\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Adrianna Wright\nAUTHOR EMAIL: awright@ivpress.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 207.227.23.131\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Adrianna Wright\n    [Email] =&gt; awright@ivpress.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; Hi! I just read David Henson\'s post on the parable of the talents and was intrigued by his thesis. Thanks for putting up such thought-provoking (heh heh) material!\r\n\r\nSo, would you be open to receiving review copies from InterVarsity Press from time to time? If so, I can handpick titles that would be of interest to your audience. I\'d also be happy to recommend select authors as possible contributors to the magazine. In short, please let me know how I can help you!\r\n\r\nYours,\r\nAdrianna\r\nwww.facebook.com/adriannafwright\r\nwww.twitter.com/adriannawright\n)\n','Adrianna Wright - 2011-11-14 15:15:51','','publish','open','open','','71212bd2d9894d9b16f704a340b0e92c','','','2011-11-14 15:15:51','2011-11-14 23:15:51','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=2234',0,'feedback','',0),(2235,35,'2011-11-16 10:00:48','2011-11-16 18:00:48','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God Workshop</strong> will be offered online January 9 - February 10, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It\'s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you\'re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray.  This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\r\n\r\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Uncensored-Prayer-Spiritual-Practice-Wrestling/dp/0615480810\" target=\"_blank\">Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God</a>.  </em>Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the text from Amazon.com.\r\n\r\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a>.   Class size is limited, so register early.','Uncensored Prayer Online Workshop','','publish','open','open','','uncensored-prayer-online-workshop','','','2011-11-16 08:16:08','2011-11-16 16:16:08','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2235',0,'post','',0),(2248,35,'2011-11-14 16:11:12','2011-11-15 00:11:12','','Book Cover Picture','','inherit','open','open','','book-cover-picture','','','2011-11-14 16:11:12','2011-11-15 00:11:12','',2235,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-Cover-Picture.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2237,35,'2011-11-14 15:30:23','2011-11-14 23:30:23','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God Workshop</strong> will be offered online January 9 - February 10, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It\'s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you\'re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray.  This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\n\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God.  </em>Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the text from Amazon.com.\n\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a>.   Class size is limited, so register early.','Uncensored Prayer Online Workshop','','inherit','open','open','','2235-revision','','','2011-11-14 15:30:23','2011-11-14 23:30:23','',2235,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2235-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2249,35,'2011-11-14 15:40:39','2011-11-14 23:40:39','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God Workshop</strong> will be offered online January 9 - February 10, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It\'s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you\'re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray.  This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\r\n\r\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God.  </em>Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the text from Amazon.com.\r\n\r\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a>.   Class size is limited, so register early.','Uncensored Prayer Online Workshop','','inherit','open','open','','2235-revision-4','','','2011-11-14 15:40:39','2011-11-14 23:40:39','',2235,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2235-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(2239,35,'2011-11-14 15:33:08','2011-11-14 23:33:08','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God Workshop</strong> will be offered online January 9 - February 10, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It\'s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you\'re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray.  This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\r\n\r\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God.  </em>Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the text from Amazon.com.\r\n\r\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a>.   Class size is limited, so register early.','Uncensored Prayer Online Workshop','','inherit','open','open','','2235-revision-2','','','2011-11-14 15:33:08','2011-11-14 23:33:08','',2235,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2235-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2240,35,'2011-11-14 15:40:06','2011-11-14 23:40:06','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God Workshop</strong> will be offered online January 9 - February 10, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It\'s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you\'re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray.  This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\r\n\r\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God.  </em>Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the text from Amazon.com.\r\n\r\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a>.   Class size is limited, so register early.','Uncensored Prayer Online Workshop','','inherit','open','open','','2235-revision-3','','','2011-11-14 15:40:06','2011-11-14 23:40:06','',2235,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2235-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2241,35,'2011-11-22 08:00:29','2011-11-22 16:00:29','Many, many times in my life I’ve heard my daddy tell the story of his mother’s thankless Thanksgiving.   Here’s the story in his own words.\r\n\r\nI was born on a farm in rural north Alabama on May 26, 1921.  My dad rented the farm and grew cotton.  My mother had always been in poor health, and in 1928 the doctor told them that if they didn’t move somewhere with an arid climate, she was going to die.  So we packed up and moved to west Texas. Dad rented a farm and grew cotton as the cash crop, plus maize and grain to feed the livestock.\r\n\r\nEvery year, the local farmers took out loans from the bank to buy seed and hail insurance, putting up their livestock and farm equipment as collateral. We had a good harvest in 1929, with cotton selling at 25 cents a pound. Then the stock market crash happened, starting the Great Depression.  We had another good crop in 1930, but made less money. By 1931, the price of cotton was down to five cents a pound.\r\n\r\nThat spring, the farmers got to talking amongst themselves, saying it had been years since there had been a hail storm.  Because times were so hard, my dad decided not to take out hail insurance that year.\r\n\r\nIn the latter part of August, the cotton was in full bloom, ready for harvest.  One day, close to sundown, the skies grew dark and green.  We went down into the storm cellar.  Outside you could hear a fierce storm raging, with hail hitting the door.  When it was over, we went outside and found the ground covered in hailstones, some as big as baseballs.\r\n\r\nThe damage was devastating.  The cotton bolls were stripped off.  All the grain was beaten into the ground.  Mama raised turkeys to sell for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they had been beaten to death.  My dad had a field of ripe watermelons ready for market, and they were pulverized.\r\n\r\nSunday afternoon came and we went to the schoolhouse, where we had church.  Dad led the singing.  He said, “Folks, these are hard times.  Get out your hymnals and turn to ‘Count Your Blessings’.”\r\n\r\n<strong>Count Your Blessings</strong>\r\n\r\nwords by Johnson Oatman Jr.\r\n\r\nWhen upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,\r\nWhen you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,\r\nCount your many blessings, name them one by one,\r\nAnd it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.\r\n\r\nAre you ever burdened with a load of care?\r\nDoes the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?\r\nCount your many blessings, every doubt will fly,\r\nAnd you will be singing as the days go by.\r\n\r\nCount your blessings, name them one by one.\r\nCount your blessings, see what God hath done.\r\nCount your blessings, name them one by one.\r\nCount your many blessings, see what God hath done.\r\n\r\nThe farmers and their families sang the hymn, but Mama kept stoic with her jaw clamped shut.  On the way home, one of the kids said, “Mama, you didn’t sing.”  Bitterly she said, “I didn’t have anything to sing about.  It’s my fault we’re in this mess.  We moved out here for my health.”\r\n\r\nThe next day, dad pulled my older brother, D.C., and me out of school to help harvest what we could salvage of the crop.  Normally we had around 40 bales of cotton to sell.  This time we had two.\r\n\r\nThanksgiving came, and the farmers followed the local tradition of eating together at a different family’s home from Thursday through Sunday.  On Friday morning, dad and D.C. went out to milk the two cows.  A few minutes later, D.C. came running back to the house, yelling, “Come quick!  Dad just collapsed!”\r\n\r\nHe had had a massive stroke.  Mama sent me to a neighbor’s house to get help, and sent D.C. to another neighbor who had a phone so he could call the doctor.  The doctor said dad had to go to the hospital.  After a few days there, the doctor said, “You might as well take him home.  We can’t do anything else for him, and he will never be able to work again.”\r\n\r\nWe could no longer afford to rent the farm, so we moved into town – Memphis, TX.  A few weeks later, dad contracted pneumonia and died on Christmas Day.  The next day we buried him in a homemade coffin.  December 27<sup>th</sup>, the banker came to the house.  He said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Smith, but your husband borrowed money to make a crop, and we have to foreclose.”  The bank took all the livestock and farm equipment, leaving only D.C’s horse, which he owned.\r\n\r\nD.C. was 14, I was 10, and there were two younger children.  Mama had to find some way of supporting her family.  So she borrowed nine cows from her cousin and neighbors.  She paid $5.00 for a used ice wagon, and with D.C.’s horse, started a milk delivery service, going door to door.  D.C. dropped out of school for good and got a job on a nearby ranch where they let our cows graze.  Way before dawn every day, Mama would milk the cows, and then D.C. and I would deliver the milk before I had to go to school.  She made the money stretch, and we got by somehow.\r\n\r\nThe next Thanksgiving at the dinner table, she said, “I wish I could go back to that schoolhouse last year and sing, ‘Count Your Blessings’.  I still have you kids, and together we’re doing OK.”\r\n\r\nAre you counting your blessings this year?  Is there “thanks” in your Thanksgiving?','The Thankless Thanksgiving','','publish','open','open','','the-thankless-thanksgiving','','','2011-11-16 08:29:16','2011-11-16 16:29:16','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2241',0,'post','',0),(2242,35,'2011-11-14 15:52:09','2011-11-14 23:52:09','','Depression mother','','inherit','open','open','','depression-mother','','','2011-11-14 15:52:09','2011-11-14 23:52:09','',2241,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Depression-mother.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2243,35,'2011-11-14 15:51:18','2011-11-14 23:51:18','<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Many, many times in my life I’ve heard my daddy tell the story of his mother’s thankless Thanksgiving.   Here’s the story in his own words.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">I was born on a farm in rural north Alabama on May 26, 1921.  My dad rented the farm and grew cotton.  My mother had always been in poor health, and in 1928 the doctor told them that if they didn’t move somewhere with an arid climate, she was going to die.  So we packed up and moved to west Texas. Dad rented a farm and grew cotton as the cash crop, plus maize and grain to feed the livestock.  </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Every year, the local farmers took out loans from the bank to buy seed and hail insurance, putting up their livestock and farm equipment as collateral. We had a good harvest in 1929, with cotton selling at 25 cents a pound. Then the stock market crash happened, starting the Great Depression.  We had another good crop in 1930, but made less money. By 1931, the price of cotton was down to five cents a pound.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">That spring, the farmers got to talking amongst themselves, saying it had been years since there had been a hail storm.  Because times were so hard, my dad decided not to take out hail insurance that year.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">In the latter part of August, the cotton was in full bloom, ready for harvest.  One day, close to sundown, the skies grew dark and green.  We went down into the storm cellar.  Outside you could hear a fierce storm raging, with hail hitting the door.  When it was over, we went outside and found the ground covered in hailstones, some as big as baseballs.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The damage was devastating.  The cotton bolls were stripped off.  All the grain was beaten into the ground.  Mama raised turkeys to sell for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they had been beaten to death.  My dad had a field of ripe watermelons ready for market, and they were pulverized.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Sunday afternoon came and we went to the schoolhouse, where we had church.  Dad led the singing.  He said, “Folks, these are hard times.  Get out your hymnals and turn to ‘Count Your Blessings’.”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count Your Blessings</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">words by Johnson Oatman Jr.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your many blessings, name them one by one,</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Are you ever burdened with a load of care?</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">And you will be singing as the days go by.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your blessings, name them one by one.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your blessings, see what God hath done.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your blessings, name them one by one.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The farmers and their families sang the hymn, but Mama kept stoic with her jaw clamped shut.  On the way home, one of the kids said, “Mama, you didn’t sing.”  Bitterly she said, “I didn’t have anything to sing about.  It’s my fault we’re in this mess.  We moved out here for my health.”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The next day, dad pulled my older brother, D.C., and me out of school to help harvest what we could salvage of the crop.  Normally we had around 40 bales of cotton to sell.  This time we had two.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Thanksgiving came, and the farmers followed the local tradition of eating together at a different family’s home from Thursday through Sunday.  On Friday morning, dad and D.C. went out to milk the two cows.  A few minutes later, D.C. came running back to the house, yelling, “Come quick!  Dad just collapsed!”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">He had had a massive stroke.  Mama sent me to a neighbor’s house to get help, and sent D.C. to another neighbor who had a phone so he could call the doctor.  The doctor said dad had to go to the hospital.  After a few days there, the doctor said, “You might as well take him home.  We can’t do anything else for him, and he will never be able to work again.”  </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">We could no longer afford to rent the farm, so we moved into town – Memphis, TX.  A few weeks later, dad contracted pneumonia and died on Christmas Day.  The next day we buried him in a homemade coffin.  December 27</span><sup><span style=\"font-size: x-small\">th</span></sup><span style=\"font-size: small\">, the banker came to the house.  He said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Smith, but your husband borrowed money to make a crop, and we have to foreclose.”  The bank took all the livestock and farm equipment, leaving only D.C’s horse, which he owned.  </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">D.C. was 14, I was 10, and there were two younger children.  Mama had to find some way of supporting her family.  So she borrowed nine cows from her cousin and neighbors.  She paid $5.00 for a used ice wagon, and with D.C.’s horse, started a milk delivery service, going door to door.  D.C. dropped out of school for good and got a job on a nearby ranch where they let our cows graze.  Way before dawn every day, Mama would milk the cows, and then D.C. and I would deliver the milk before I had to go to school.  She made the money stretch, and we got by somehow.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The next Thanksgiving at the dinner table, she said, “I wish I could go back to that schoolhouse last year and sing, ‘Count Your Blessings’.  I still have you kids, and together we’re doing OK.”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Are you counting your blessings this year?  Is there “thanks” in your Thanksgiving?</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>','The Thankless Thanksgiving','','inherit','open','open','','2241-revision','','','2011-11-14 15:51:18','2011-11-14 23:51:18','',2241,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2241-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2244,35,'2011-11-14 15:53:38','2011-11-14 23:53:38','<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Many, many times in my life I’ve heard my daddy tell the story of his mother’s thankless Thanksgiving.   Here’s the story in his own words.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">I was born on a farm in rural north Alabama on May 26, 1921.  My dad rented the farm and grew cotton.  My mother had always been in poor health, and in 1928 the doctor told them that if they didn’t move somewhere with an arid climate, she was going to die.  So we packed up and moved to west Texas. Dad rented a farm and grew cotton as the cash crop, plus maize and grain to feed the livestock.  </span></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Every year, the local farmers took out loans from the bank to buy seed and hail insurance, putting up their livestock and farm equipment as collateral. We had a good harvest in 1929, with cotton selling at 25 cents a pound. Then the stock market crash happened, starting the Great Depression.  We had another good crop in 1930, but made less money. By 1931, the price of cotton was down to five cents a pound.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">That spring, the farmers got to talking amongst themselves, saying it had been years since there had been a hail storm.  Because times were so hard, my dad decided not to take out hail insurance that year.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">In the latter part of August, the cotton was in full bloom, ready for harvest.  One day, close to sundown, the skies grew dark and green.  We went down into the storm cellar.  Outside you could hear a fierce storm raging, with hail hitting the door.  When it was over, we went outside and found the ground covered in hailstones, some as big as baseballs.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The damage was devastating.  The cotton bolls were stripped off.  All the grain was beaten into the ground.  Mama raised turkeys to sell for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they had been beaten to death.  My dad had a field of ripe watermelons ready for market, and they were pulverized.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Sunday afternoon came and we went to the schoolhouse, where we had church.  Dad led the singing.  He said, “Folks, these are hard times.  Get out your hymnals and turn to ‘Count Your Blessings’.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count Your Blessings</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">words by Johnson Oatman Jr.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your many blessings, name them one by one,</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Are you ever burdened with a load of care?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">And you will be singing as the days go by.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your blessings, name them one by one.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your blessings, see what God hath done.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your blessings, name them one by one.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The farmers and their families sang the hymn, but Mama kept stoic with her jaw clamped shut.  On the way home, one of the kids said, “Mama, you didn’t sing.”  Bitterly she said, “I didn’t have anything to sing about.  It’s my fault we’re in this mess.  We moved out here for my health.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The next day, dad pulled my older brother, D.C., and me out of school to help harvest what we could salvage of the crop.  Normally we had around 40 bales of cotton to sell.  This time we had two.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Thanksgiving came, and the farmers followed the local tradition of eating together at a different family’s home from Thursday through Sunday.  On Friday morning, dad and D.C. went out to milk the two cows.  A few minutes later, D.C. came running back to the house, yelling, “Come quick!  Dad just collapsed!”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">He had had a massive stroke.  Mama sent me to a neighbor’s house to get help, and sent D.C. to another neighbor who had a phone so he could call the doctor.  The doctor said dad had to go to the hospital.  After a few days there, the doctor said, “You might as well take him home.  We can’t do anything else for him, and he will never be able to work again.”  </span></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">We could no longer afford to rent the farm, so we moved into town – Memphis, TX.  A few weeks later, dad contracted pneumonia and died on Christmas Day.  The next day we buried him in a homemade coffin.  December 27</span><sup><span style=\"font-size: x-small\">th</span></sup><span style=\"font-size: small\">, the banker came to the house.  He said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Smith, but your husband borrowed money to make a crop, and we have to foreclose.”  The bank took all the livestock and farm equipment, leaving only D.C’s horse, which he owned.  </span></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">D.C. was 14, I was 10, and there were two younger children.  Mama had to find some way of supporting her family.  So she borrowed nine cows from her cousin and neighbors.  She paid $5.00 for a used ice wagon, and with D.C.’s horse, started a milk delivery service, going door to door.  D.C. dropped out of school for good and got a job on a nearby ranch where they let our cows graze.  Way before dawn every day, Mama would milk the cows, and then D.C. and I would deliver the milk before I had to go to school.  She made the money stretch, and we got by somehow.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The next Thanksgiving at the dinner table, she said, “I wish I could go back to that schoolhouse last year and sing, ‘Count Your Blessings’.  I still have you kids, and together we’re doing OK.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Are you counting your blessings this year?  Is there “thanks” in your Thanksgiving?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>','The Thankless Thanksgiving','','inherit','open','open','','2241-revision-2','','','2011-11-14 15:53:38','2011-11-14 23:53:38','',2241,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2241-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2305,1,'2011-11-16 08:43:48','2011-11-16 16:43:48','The joke is that no one goes into ministry for the money, a truism for many ministry leaders and volunteers today. But there is another kind of currency to thank and support those who have made it their occupation to serve the Lord, Dr. Paul White says, and that is through appreciation.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/5-LANGUAGES-OF-APPRECIATION.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"5-LANGUAGES-OF-APPRECIATION\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/5-LANGUAGES-OF-APPRECIATION-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"127\" height=\"194\" /></a>Dr. Paul White is a psychologist and business consultant with over 20 years of experience in \"making work relationships work,\" and now, teamed up with coauthor Dr. Gary Chapman, they have released <em><a href=\"http://www.appreciationatwork.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace</a>. </em>Below, Dr. White answers a few questions about how appreciation can breathe new life into church leadership.\r\n\r\n[question]In <em>The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, </em>you mention that pastors and ministry leaders have a unique relationship to their vocation because income is a practical factor in ministry careers, but the driving motivation is “a sense of spiritual calling and a desire to serve others.” Do you see appreciation affecting pastors differently than those in other vocations?[/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]My answer is an emphatic “yes” and “no.”  I see appreciation playing a similar role in pastoral positions and other helping positions (social workers, counselors, missionaries, teachers, doctors) because all of these share the perception that they serve because they were called to serve; they are not doing it for praise or recognition from others.  But pastors are unique in their position of spiritual authority, and the common belief that they should receive their encouragement from God.  While this is partially true, the pastor as well as every member of the congregation are part of the Body of Christ and are clearly instructed to encourage and support one another.[/answer]\r\n\r\n[question]Burnout is common among ministry workers and volunteers. How do you think appreciation can help prevent this?[/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]Burnout is essentially the result in a person’s life when the demands of others outweigh the resources he or she has to meet those demands, especially when this tension stretches over a long period of time.\r\n\r\nThere are internal ways to increase our resources (rest, exercise, recreation, spiritual disciplines) and there are external ways to become rejuvenated (encouragement, gifts, companionship).  Acts of encouragement and appreciation which are meaningful to the recipient and repeated over time can certainly stem the tide of encroaching burnout – but one big act of encouragement when a minister is already “fried” isn’t enough.[/answer]\r\n\r\n[question]What are some simple, practical ways a congregation can appreciate their pastor(s)?[/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]First and foremost, a congregation needs to <em>find out what makes their pastor feel appreciated.</em>\r\n\r\nSo many well-meaning people put the cart before the horse—“We need to do this for Pastor Johnson…” or “I heard about a church that …We should do that, too.”  But copying other ideas without understanding the individual and what is important to him or her leave you missing the target repeatedly. For example, I am not a pastor, but my church once gave me a Starbucks gift card as a thank-you for a seminar I had recently taught. Unfortunately, I don’t drink coffee. The gift was a generous gesture; however, it missed the mark.\r\n\r\nTake the time and initiative to ask them what would make them feel appreciated and valued – or have them take the <em><a href=\"http://mbainventory.com/\">Motivating By Appreciation Inventory</a> </em>so you can find out both their preferred language of appreciation and the actions that are meaningful to them.  Often it is hard to come up with ideas that will be effective on the spur of the moment.[/answer]\r\n\r\n[question]<strong></strong>Is it ever possible for attempts to communicate appreciation to backfire? [/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]If people didn’t have negative experiences in this area, we would never be asked this question—and we frequently are!  Attempting to encourage or show appreciation to someone most often backfires when there is an unresolved relational issue.  When we ignore a conflict and proceed to put on a superficial show of appreciation, resentment follows closely behind.  Inauthentic appreciation, or appreciation perceived as inauthentic, rarely has positive results.[/answer]\r\n\r\n[question]If a church leadership team actively and effectively communicated appreciation to each other, what might this look like? What changes might take place in the church as a whole?[/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]I recently asked a group of pastors these questions: Do you think you would become better or worse as a pastor if you felt genuinely appreciated by your staff and congregation? What positive effects would you expect to see in your church if your staff and volunteers felt truly valued for what they do?\r\n\r\nImmediately, the room started to buzz.  Pastors were smiling, nodding their heads, and talking to each other.  They started to see the potential impact of effectively communicated encouragement and appreciation on their church’s relationships.  When people feel valued for who they are and what they contribute, trust me, good things happen![/answer]\r\n\r\n<strong>About the Book: </strong><em><a href=\"http://www.appreciationatwork.com\" target=\"_blank\">The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace </a></em>applies the “love language” concept of New York Times bestseller, <em>The 5 Love Languages, </em>to the workplace.<em> </em>This book helps supervisors and managers effectively communicate appreciation and encouragement to their employees, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, healthier relationships between managers and employees, and decreased cases of burnout. Ideal for both the profit and non-profit sectors, the principles presented in this book have a proven history of success in businesses, schools, medical offices, churches, and industry. Each book contains an access code for the reader to take a comprehensive <a href=\"http://mbainventory.com/\">online MBA Inventory (Motivating By Appreciation)</a> - a $20 value.','Why Pastor Appreciation Is Vital To Church Health','','inherit','open','open','','2264-autosave','','','2011-11-16 08:43:48','2011-11-16 16:43:48','',2264,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/16/2264-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2245,1,'2011-11-16 08:29:23','2011-11-16 16:29:23','Many, many times in my life I’ve heard my daddy tell the story of his mother’s thankless Thanksgiving.   Here’s the story in his own words.\r\n\r\nI was born on a farm in rural north Alabama on May 26, 1921.  My dad rented the farm and grew cotton.  My mother had always been in poor health, and in 1928 the doctor told them that if they didn’t move somewhere with an arid climate, she was going to die.  So we packed up and moved to west Texas. Dad rented a farm and grew cotton as the cash crop, plus maize and grain to feed the livestock.\r\n\r\nEvery year, the local farmers took out loans from the bank to buy seed and hail insurance, putting up their livestock and farm equipment as collateral. We had a good harvest in 1929, with cotton selling at 25 cents a pound. Then the stock market crash happened, starting the Great Depression.  We had another good crop in 1930, but made less money. By 1931, the price of cotton was down to five cents a pound.\r\n\r\nThat spring, the farmers got to talking amongst themselves, saying it had been years since there had been a hail storm.  Because times were so hard, my dad decided not to take out hail insurance that year.\r\n\r\nIn the latter part of August, the cotton was in full bloom, ready for harvest.  One day, close to sundown, the skies grew dark and green.  We went down into the storm cellar.  Outside you could hear a fierce storm raging, with hail hitting the door.  When it was over, we went outside and found the ground covered in hailstones, some as big as baseballs.\r\n\r\nThe damage was devastating.  The cotton bolls were stripped off.  All the grain was beaten into the ground.  Mama raised turkeys to sell for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they had been beaten to death.  My dad had a field of ripe watermelons ready for market, and they were pulverized.\r\n\r\nSunday afternoon came and we went to the schoolhouse, where we had church.  Dad led the singing.  He said, “Folks, these are hard times.  Get out your hymnals and turn to ‘Count Your Blessings’.”\r\n\r\n<strong>Count Your Blessings</strong>\r\n\r\nwords by Johnson Oatman Jr.\r\n\r\nWhen upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,\r\nWhen you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,\r\nCount your many blessings, name them one by one,\r\nAnd it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.\r\n\r\nAre you ever burdened with a load of care?\r\nDoes the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?\r\nCount your many blessings, every doubt will fly,\r\nAnd you will be singing as the days go by.\r\n\r\nCount your blessings, name them one by one.\r\nCount your blessings, see what God hath done.\r\nCount your blessings, name them one by one.\r\nCount your many blessings, see what God hath done.\r\n\r\nThe farmers and their families sang the hymn, but Mama kept stoic with her jaw clamped shut.  On the way home, one of the kids said, “Mama, you didn’t sing.”  Bitterly she said, “I didn’t have anything to sing about.  It’s my fault we’re in this mess.  We moved out here for my health.”\r\n\r\nThe next day, dad pulled my older brother, D.C., and me out of school to help harvest what we could salvage of the crop.  Normally we had around 40 bales of cotton to sell.  This time we had two.\r\n\r\nThanksgiving came, and the farmers followed the local tradition of eating together at a different family’s home from Thursday through Sunday.  On Friday morning, dad and D.C. went out to milk the two cows.  A few minutes later, D.C. came running back to the house, yelling, “Come quick!  Dad just collapsed!”\r\n\r\nHe had had a massive stroke.  Mama sent me to a neighbor’s house to get help, and sent D.C. to another neighbor who had a phone so he could call the doctor.  The doctor said dad had to go to the hospital.  After a few days there, the doctor said, “You might as well take him home.  We can’t do anything else for him, and he will never be able to work again.”\r\n\r\nWe could no longer afford to rent the farm, so we moved into town – Memphis, TX.  A few weeks later, dad contracted pneumonia and died on Christmas Day.  The next day we buried him in a homemade coffin.  December 27<sup>th</sup>, the banker came to the house.  He said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Smith, but your husband borrowed money to make a crop, and we have to foreclose.”  The bank took all the livestock and farm equipment, leaving only D.C’s horse, which he owned.\r\n\r\nD.C. was 14, I was 10, and there were two younger children.  Mama had to find some way of supporting her family.  So she borrowed nine cows from her cousin and neighbors.  She paid $5.00 for a used ice wagon, and with D.C.’s horse, started a milk delivery service, going door to door.  D.C. dropped out of school for good and got a job on a nearby ranch where they let our cows graze.  Way before dawn every day, Mama would milk the cows, and then D.C. and I would deliver the milk before I had to go to school.  She made the money stretch, and we got by somehow.\r\n\r\nThe next Thanksgiving at the dinner table, she said, “I wish I could go back to that schoolhouse last year and sing, ‘Count Your Blessings’.  I still have you kids, and together we’re doing OK.”\r\n\r\nAre you counting your blessings this year?  Is there “thanks” in your Thanksgiving?','The Thankless Thanksgiving','','inherit','open','open','','2241-autosave','','','2011-11-16 08:29:23','2011-11-16 16:29:23','',2241,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2241-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2304,1,'2011-11-14 15:54:30','2011-11-14 23:54:30','<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Many, many times in my life I’ve heard my daddy tell the story of his mother’s thankless Thanksgiving.   Here’s the story in his own words.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">I was born on a farm in rural north Alabama on May 26, 1921.  My dad rented the farm and grew cotton.  My mother had always been in poor health, and in 1928 the doctor told them that if they didn’t move somewhere with an arid climate, she was going to die.  So we packed up and moved to west Texas. Dad rented a farm and grew cotton as the cash crop, plus maize and grain to feed the livestock.  </span></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Every year, the local farmers took out loans from the bank to buy seed and hail insurance, putting up their livestock and farm equipment as collateral. We had a good harvest in 1929, with cotton selling at 25 cents a pound. Then the stock market crash happened, starting the Great Depression.  We had another good crop in 1930, but made less money. By 1931, the price of cotton was down to five cents a pound.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">That spring, the farmers got to talking amongst themselves, saying it had been years since there had been a hail storm.  Because times were so hard, my dad decided not to take out hail insurance that year.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">In the latter part of August, the cotton was in full bloom, ready for harvest.  One day, close to sundown, the skies grew dark and green.  We went down into the storm cellar.  Outside you could hear a fierce storm raging, with hail hitting the door.  When it was over, we went outside and found the ground covered in hailstones, some as big as baseballs.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The damage was devastating.  The cotton bolls were stripped off.  All the grain was beaten into the ground.  Mama raised turkeys to sell for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they had been beaten to death.  My dad had a field of ripe watermelons ready for market, and they were pulverized.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Sunday afternoon came and we went to the schoolhouse, where we had church.  Dad led the singing.  He said, “Folks, these are hard times.  Get out your hymnals and turn to ‘Count Your Blessings’.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count Your Blessings</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">words by Johnson Oatman Jr.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your many blessings, name them one by one,</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Are you ever burdened with a load of care?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">And you will be singing as the days go by.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your blessings, name them one by one.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your blessings, see what God hath done.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your blessings, name them one by one.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The farmers and their families sang the hymn, but Mama kept stoic with her jaw clamped shut.  On the way home, one of the kids said, “Mama, you didn’t sing.”  Bitterly she said, “I didn’t have anything to sing about.  It’s my fault we’re in this mess.  We moved out here for my health.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The next day, dad pulled my older brother, D.C., and me out of school to help harvest what we could salvage of the crop.  Normally we had around 40 bales of cotton to sell.  This time we had two.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Thanksgiving came, and the farmers followed the local tradition of eating together at a different family’s home from Thursday through Sunday.  On Friday morning, dad and D.C. went out to milk the two cows.  A few minutes later, D.C. came running back to the house, yelling, “Come quick!  Dad just collapsed!”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">He had had a massive stroke.  Mama sent me to a neighbor’s house to get help, and sent D.C. to another neighbor who had a phone so he could call the doctor.  The doctor said dad had to go to the hospital.  After a few days there, the doctor said, “You might as well take him home.  We can’t do anything else for him, and he will never be able to work again.”  </span></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">We could no longer afford to rent the farm, so we moved into town – Memphis, TX.  A few weeks later, dad contracted pneumonia and died on Christmas Day.  The next day we buried him in a homemade coffin.  December 27</span><sup><span style=\"font-size: x-small\">th</span></sup><span style=\"font-size: small\">, the banker came to the house.  He said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Smith, but your husband borrowed money to make a crop, and we have to foreclose.”  The bank took all the livestock and farm equipment, leaving only D.C’s horse, which he owned.  </span></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">D.C. was 14, I was 10, and there were two younger children.  Mama had to find some way of supporting her family.  So she borrowed nine cows from her cousin and neighbors.  She paid $5.00 for a used ice wagon, and with D.C.’s horse, started a milk delivery service, going door to door.  D.C. dropped out of school for good and got a job on a nearby ranch where they let our cows graze.  Way before dawn every day, Mama would milk the cows, and then D.C. and I would deliver the milk before I had to go to school.  She made the money stretch, and we got by somehow.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">The next Thanksgiving at the dinner table, she said, “I wish I could go back to that schoolhouse last year and sing, ‘Count Your Blessings’.  I still have you kids, and together we’re doing OK.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\">Are you counting your blessings this year?  Is there “thanks” in your Thanksgiving?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;font-size: small\"> </span>','The Thankless Thanksgiving','','inherit','open','open','','2241-revision-3','','','2011-11-14 15:54:30','2011-11-14 23:54:30','',2241,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2241-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(2246,1,'2011-11-16 08:14:53','2011-11-16 16:14:53','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling with God Workshop</strong> will be offered online January 9 - February 10, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It\'s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you\'re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray.  This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\n\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God.  </em>Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the text from Amazon.com.\n\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a>.   Class size is limited, so register early.','Uncensored Prayer Online Workshop','','inherit','open','open','','2235-autosave','','','2011-11-16 08:14:53','2011-11-16 16:14:53','',2235,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/14/2235-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(2250,1,'2011-11-14 16:26:23','2011-11-15 00:26:23','','Joy Wilson','','publish','open','open','','joy-wilson-2','','','2012-12-18 12:55:08','2012-12-18 20:55:08','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2250',63,'nav_menu_item','',0),(2254,0,'2011-11-15 05:58:04','2011-11-15 13:58:04','Hi Jonathan.\r\n\r\nI was wondering when my article, There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird, will go live?\r\n\r\nThanks\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Bill Huffhine\nAUTHOR EMAIL: billhuffhine@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.christiandropout.com\nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Who Really Loses In The NBA Lockout\nIP: 68.252.182.40\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Bill Huffhine\n    [Email] =&gt; billhuffhine@gmail.com\n    [Website] =&gt; http://www.christiandropout.com\n    [Message] =&gt; Hi Jonathan.\r\n\r\nI was wondering when my article, There\'s Nothing Wrong With Weird, will go live?\r\n\r\nThanks\n)\n','Bill Huffhine - 2011-11-15 05:58:04','','publish','open','open','','3d437ba49d64ad883fdae999af352661','','','2011-11-15 05:58:04','2011-11-15 13:58:04','',1457,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=2254',0,'feedback','',0),(2256,35,'2011-11-15 08:36:52','2011-11-15 16:36:52','','Midwest Outlaw Preacher\'s Retreat','','inherit','open','open','','midwest-outlaw-preachers-retreat','','','2011-11-15 08:36:52','2011-11-15 16:36:52','',2255,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Midwest-Outlaw-Preachers-Retreat.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2257,35,'2011-11-15 08:34:58','2011-11-15 16:34:58','<table width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Dates:</strong></td>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">Friday, February 3 through Sunday, February 5, 2012</span></span></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"1\" width=\"100%\" />\n\n</div></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong>Location:</strong></p>\n</td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">The Cove of Lake Geneva,  Wisconsin</span></span></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"1\" width=\"100%\" />\n\n</div></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td></td>\n<td></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"1\" width=\"100%\" />\n\n</div></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td></td>\n<td><strong>The theme this year will be “Uncensored Christianity”.   </strong>Ever struggled with feeling like your prayers have to be perfect, because if you don’t say the right kind of things God will tune you out? Are there things you’ve always wanted to ask or say to God, but haven’t because you’re afraid God will reject you?   The truth is God wants to have totally honest conversations with you, and you can say anything you want.  No topic, language, or feeling is inappropriate.\n\nCome with us as we spend the weekend in Lake Geneva finding a way to get past all of the “shoulds” of religion so we can enter into a truly, scandalously honest relationship with God. We want to learn to relish the high times, low times, questions, answers, and all the other dynamics of what we call Christianity.\n\nOur keynote speaker is <a title=\"Facilitators &amp; Speakers\" href=\"http://midwestoutlawretreat.wordpress.com/facilitators-speakers/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">Joy Wilson</span></a>, the author of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/193\" target=\"_blank\"><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God</span></em></a><em>,</em> who will show us through her poetry how being open and honest in her conversations with God has transformed her understanding of Him/Her, and immensely expanded her understanding of what it means to have faith.  Also, there will be a session with the homeless advocate and artist, Revolución MacInnes.\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;font-size: small\">Who are</span> Outlaw Preachers<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman\">?  </span></span>An eclectic group of Jesus followers whose interests and ministries often aren’t traditional. You are an Outlaw is you say you are, preacher or not. Registration is only $25, which includes a Chicago style pizza dinner on Friday night and a Breakfast together on Sunday morning.\n\nSee the website for information about lodging and to register today!\n\n<a href=\"http://midwestoutlawretreat.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">http://midwestoutlawretreat.wordpress.com/</span></a></td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>','Midwest Outlaw Preacher winter Retreat 2012','','inherit','open','open','','2255-revision','','','2011-11-15 08:34:58','2011-11-15 16:34:58','',2255,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/15/2255-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2258,35,'2011-11-15 08:37:29','2011-11-15 16:37:29','<table width=\"100%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Dates:</strong></td>\r\n<td><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">Friday, February 3 through Sunday, February 5, 2012</span></span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan=\"2\">\r\n<div align=\"center\">\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"1\" width=\"100%\" />\r\n\r\n</div></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<p align=\"center\"><strong>Location:</strong></p>\r\n</td>\r\n<td><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">The Cove of Lake Geneva,  Wisconsin</span></span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan=\"2\">\r\n<div align=\"center\">\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"1\" width=\"100%\" />\r\n\r\n</div></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan=\"2\">\r\n<div align=\"center\">\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"1\" width=\"100%\" />\r\n\r\n</div></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td></td>\r\n<td><strong>The theme this year will be “Uncensored Christianity”.   </strong>Ever struggled with feeling like your prayers have to be perfect, because if you don’t say the right kind of things God will tune you out? Are there things you’ve always wanted to ask or say to God, but haven’t because you’re afraid God will reject you?   The truth is God wants to have totally honest conversations with you, and you can say anything you want.  No topic, language, or feeling is inappropriate.\r\n\r\nCome with us as we spend the weekend in Lake Geneva finding a way to get past all of the “shoulds” of religion so we can enter into a truly, scandalously honest relationship with God. We want to learn to relish the high times, low times, questions, answers, and all the other dynamics of what we call Christianity.\r\n\r\nOur keynote speaker is <a title=\"Facilitators &amp; Speakers\" href=\"http://midwestoutlawretreat.wordpress.com/facilitators-speakers/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">Joy Wilson</span></a>, the author of <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/193\" target=\"_blank\"><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God</span></em></a><em>,</em> who will show us through her poetry how being open and honest in her conversations with God has transformed her understanding of Him/Her, and immensely expanded her understanding of what it means to have faith.  Also, there will be a session with the homeless advocate and artist, Revolución MacInnes.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman;font-size: small\">Who are</span> Outlaw Preachers<span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman\">?  </span></span>An eclectic group of Jesus followers whose interests and ministries often aren’t traditional. You are an Outlaw is you say you are, preacher or not. Registration is only $25, which includes a Chicago style pizza dinner on Friday night and a Breakfast together on Sunday morning.\r\n\r\nSee the website for information about lodging and to register today!\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://midwestoutlawretreat.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">http://midwestoutlawretreat.wordpress.com/</span></a></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>','Midwest Outlaw Preacher winter Retreat 2012','','inherit','open','open','','2255-revision-2','','','2011-11-15 08:37:29','2011-11-15 16:37:29','',2255,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/15/2255-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2259,1,'2011-11-15 08:47:03','2011-11-15 16:47:03','<em>Here lies the core of my spiritual struggle: the struggle against self-rejection, self-contempt and self-loathing. It is a very fierce battle because the world and its demons conspire to make me think about myself as worthless, useless and negligible….For a very long time I considered low self-esteem to be some kind of virtue. I had been warned so often against pride and conceit that I came to consider it a good thing to deprecate myself. But now I realize that the real sin is to deny God’s first love for me, to ignore my original goodness.<strong> </strong>Because without claiming that first love and that original goodness for myself, I lose touch with my true self and embark on the destructive search among the wrong people and in the wrong places for what can only be found in the house of my Father. </em>\r\n\r\n–Henri Nouwen, “The Essential Henri Nouwen” (page 113)','Denying God\'s Love For Me','','publish','open','open','','denying-gods-love-for-me','','','2011-11-15 08:47:22','2011-11-15 16:47:22','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2259',0,'post','',1),(2260,1,'2011-11-15 08:46:23','2011-11-15 16:46:23','','rembrandt_nouwen','','inherit','open','open','','rembrandt_nouwen','','','2011-11-15 08:46:23','2011-11-15 16:46:23','',2259,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rembrandt_nouwen.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(2261,1,'2011-11-15 08:43:16','2011-11-15 16:43:16','<em>Here lies the core of my spiritual struggle: the struggle against self-rejection, self-contempt and self-loathing. It is a very fierce battle because the world and its demons conspire to make me think about myself as worthless, useless and negligible….For a very long time I considered low self-esteem to be some kind of virtue. I had been warned so often against pride and conceit that I came to consider it a good thing to deprecate myself. But now I realize that the real sin is to deny God’s first love for me, to ignore my original goodness.<strong> </strong>Because without claiming that first love and that original goodness for myself, I lose touch with my true self and embark on the destructive search among the wrong people and in the wrong places for what can only be found in the house of my Father. </em>–Henri Nouwen, “The Essential Henri Nouwen” (page 113)','Denying God\'s Love For Me','','inherit','open','open','','2259-revision','','','2011-11-15 08:43:16','2011-11-15 16:43:16','',2259,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/15/2259-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2262,1,'2011-11-15 08:47:03','2011-11-15 16:47:03','<em>Here lies the core of my spiritual struggle: the struggle against self-rejection, self-contempt and self-loathing. It is a very fierce battle because the world and its demons conspire to make me think about myself as worthless, useless and negligible….For a very long time I considered low self-esteem to be some kind of virtue. I had been warned so often against pride and conceit that I came to consider it a good thing to deprecate myself. But now I realize that the real sin is to deny God’s first love for me, to ignore my original goodness.<strong> </strong>Because without claiming that first love and that original goodness for myself, I lose touch with my true self and embark on the destructive search among the wrong people and in the wrong places for what can only be found in the house of my Father. </em>\r\n\r\n–Henri Nouwen, “The Essential Henri Nouwen” (page 113)','Denying God\'s Love For Me','','inherit','open','open','','2259-revision-2','','','2011-11-15 08:47:03','2011-11-15 16:47:03','',2259,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/15/2259-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2264,95,'2011-11-17 09:00:37','2011-11-17 17:00:37','The joke is that no one goes into ministry for the money, a truism for many ministry leaders and volunteers today. But there is another kind of currency to thank and support those who have made it their occupation to serve the Lord, Dr. Paul White says, and that is through appreciation.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/5-LANGUAGES-OF-APPRECIATION.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"5-LANGUAGES-OF-APPRECIATION\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/5-LANGUAGES-OF-APPRECIATION-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"127\" height=\"194\" /></a>Dr. Paul White is a psychologist and business consultant with over 20 years of experience in \"making work relationships work,\" and now, teamed up with coauthor Dr. Gary Chapman, they have released <em><a href=\"http://www.appreciationatwork.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace</a>. </em>Below, Dr. White answers a few questions about how appreciation can breathe new life into church leadership.\r\n\r\n[question]In <em>The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, </em>you mention that pastors and ministry leaders have a unique relationship to their vocation because income is a practical factor in ministry careers, but the driving motivation is “a sense of spiritual calling and a desire to serve others.” Do you see appreciation affecting pastors differently than those in other vocations?[/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]My answer is an emphatic “yes” and “no.”  I see appreciation playing a similar role in pastoral positions and other helping positions (social workers, counselors, missionaries, teachers, doctors) because all of these share the perception that they serve because they were called to serve; they are not doing it for praise or recognition from others.  But pastors are unique in their position of spiritual authority, and the common belief that they should receive their encouragement from God.  While this is partially true, the pastor as well as every member of the congregation are part of the Body of Christ and are clearly instructed to encourage and support one another.[/answer]\r\n\r\n[question]Burnout is common among ministry workers and volunteers. How do you think appreciation can help prevent this?[/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]Burnout is essentially the result in a person’s life when the demands of others outweigh the resources he or she has to meet those demands, especially when this tension stretches over a long period of time.\r\n\r\nThere are internal ways to increase our resources (rest, exercise, recreation, spiritual disciplines) and there are external ways to become rejuvenated (encouragement, gifts, companionship).  Acts of encouragement and appreciation which are meaningful to the recipient and repeated over time can certainly stem the tide of encroaching burnout – but one big act of encouragement when a minister is already “fried” isn’t enough.[/answer]\r\n\r\n[question]What are some simple, practical ways a congregation can appreciate their pastor(s)?[/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]First and foremost, a congregation needs to <em>find out what makes their pastor feel appreciated.</em>\r\n\r\nSo many well-meaning people put the cart before the horse—“We need to do this for Pastor Johnson…” or “I heard about a church that …We should do that, too.”  But copying other ideas without understanding the individual and what is important to him or her leave you missing the target repeatedly. For example, I am not a pastor, but my church once gave me a Starbucks gift card as a thank-you for a seminar I had recently taught. Unfortunately, I don’t drink coffee. The gift was a generous gesture; however, it missed the mark.\r\n\r\nTake the time and initiative to ask them what would make them feel appreciated and valued – or have them take the <em><a href=\"http://mbainventory.com/\">Motivating By Appreciation Inventory</a> </em>so you can find out both their preferred language of appreciation and the actions that are meaningful to them.  Often it is hard to come up with ideas that will be effective on the spur of the moment.[/answer]\r\n\r\n[question]<strong></strong>Is it ever possible for attempts to communicate appreciation to backfire? [/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]If people didn’t have negative experiences in this area, we would never be asked this question—and we frequently are!  Attempting to encourage or show appreciation to someone most often backfires when there is an unresolved relational issue.  When we ignore a conflict and proceed to put on a superficial show of appreciation, resentment follows closely behind.  Inauthentic appreciation, or appreciation perceived as inauthentic, rarely has positive results.[/answer]\r\n\r\n[question]If a church leadership team actively and effectively communicated appreciation to each other, what might this look like? What changes might take place in the church as a whole?[/question]\r\n\r\n[answer]I recently asked a group of pastors these questions: Do you think you would become better or worse as a pastor if you felt genuinely appreciated by your staff and congregation? What positive effects would you expect to see in your church if your staff and volunteers felt truly valued for what they do?\r\n\r\nImmediately, the room started to buzz.  Pastors were smiling, nodding their heads, and talking to each other.  They started to see the potential impact of effectively communicated encouragement and appreciation on their church’s relationships.  When people feel valued for who they are and what they contribute, trust me, good things happen![/answer]\r\n\r\n<strong>About the Book: </strong><em><a href=\"http://www.appreciationatwork.com\" target=\"_blank\">The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace </a></em>applies the “love language” concept of New York Times bestseller, <em>The 5 Love Languages, </em>to the workplace.<em> </em>This book helps supervisors and managers effectively communicate appreciation and encouragement to their employees, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, healthier relationships between managers and employees, and decreased cases of burnout. Ideal for both the profit and non-profit sectors, the principles presented in this book have a proven history of success in businesses, schools, medical offices, churches, and industry. Each book contains an access code for the reader to take a comprehensive <a href=\"http://mbainventory.com/\">online MBA Inventory (Motivating By Appreciation)</a> - a $20 value.','Why Pastor Appreciation Is Vital To Church Health','','publish','open','open','','why-pastor-appreciation-is-vital-to-church-health','','','2011-11-16 08:44:30','2011-11-16 16:44:30','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2264',0,'post','',3),(2265,95,'2011-11-15 11:46:59','2011-11-15 19:46:59','','\"Appreciation\" by http://www.flickr.com/photos/glsims99/','','inherit','open','open','','appreciation','','','2011-11-15 11:46:59','2011-11-15 19:46:59','',2264,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/appreciation.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2266,95,'2011-11-15 11:52:21','2011-11-15 19:52:21','','appreciation2','','inherit','open','open','','appreciation2','','','2011-11-15 11:52:21','2011-11-15 19:52:21','',2264,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/appreciation2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(2267,95,'2011-11-15 11:42:29','2011-11-15 19:42:29','The joke is that no one goes into ministry for the money, a truism for many ministry leaders and volunteers today. But there is another kind of currency to thank and support those who have made it their occupation to serve the Lord, Dr. Paul White says, and that is through appreciation.\n\nDr. Paul White is a psychologist and business consultant with over 20 years of experience in \"making work relationships work,\" and now, teamed up with coauthor Dr. Gary Chapman, they have released <em><a href=\"http://www.appreciationatwork.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace</a>. </em>Below, Dr. White answers a few questions about how appreciation can breathe new life into church leadership.\n\n<strong>1)      </strong><strong>In <em>The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, </em>you mention that pastors and ministry leaders have a unique relationship to their vocation because income is a practical factor in ministry careers, but the driving motivation is “a sense of spiritual calling and a desire to serve others.” Do you see appreciation affecting pastors differently than those in other vocations?</strong>\n\nMy answer is an emphatic “yes” and “no.”  I see appreciation playing a similar role in pastoral positions and other helping positions (social workers, counselors, missionaries, teachers, doctors) because all of these share the perception that they serve because they were called to serve; they are not doing it for praise or recognition from others.  But pastors are unique in their position of spiritual authority, and the common belief that they should receive their encouragement from God.  While this is partially true, the pastor as well as every member of the congregation are part of the Body of Christ and are clearly instructed to encourage and support one another.\n\n<strong>2)      </strong><strong>Burnout is common among ministry workers and volunteers. How do you think appreciation can help prevent this?</strong>\n\nBurnout is essentially the result in a person’s life when the demands of others outweigh the resources he or she has to meet those demands, especially when this tension stretches over a long period of time.\n\nThere are internal ways to increase our resources (rest, exercise, recreation, spiritual disciplines) and there are external ways to become rejuvenated (encouragement, gifts, companionship).  Acts of encouragement and appreciation which are meaningful to the recipient and repeated over time can certainly stem the tide of encroaching burnout – but one big act of encouragement when a minister is already “fried” isn’t enough.\n\n<strong>3)      </strong><strong>What are some simple, practical ways a congregation can appreciate their pastor(s)?</strong>\n\nFirst and foremost, a congregation needs to <em>find out what makes their pastor feel appreciated.</em>\n\nSo many well-meaning people put the cart before the horse—“We need to do this for Pastor Johnson…” or “I heard about a church that …We should do that, too.”  But copying other ideas without understanding the individual and what is important to him or her leave you missing the target repeatedly. For example, I am not a pastor, but my church once gave me a Starbucks gift card as a thank-you for a seminar I had recently taught. Unfortunately, I don’t drink coffee. The gift was a generous gesture; however, it missed the mark.\n\nTake the time and initiative to ask them what would make them feel appreciated and valued – or have them take the <em><a href=\"http://mbainventory.com/\">Motivating By Appreciation Inventory</a> </em>so you can find out both their preferred language of appreciation and the actions that are meaningful to them.  Often it is hard to come up with ideas that will be effective on the spur of the moment.\n\n<strong>4)      </strong><strong>Is it ever possible for attempts to communicate appreciation to backfire? </strong>\n\nIf people didn’t have negative experiences in this area, we would never be asked this question—and we frequently are!  Attempting to encourage or show appreciation to someone most often backfires when there is an unresolved relational issue.  When we ignore a conflict and proceed to put on a superficial show of appreciation, resentment follows closely behind.  Inauthentic appreciation, or appreciation perceived as inauthentic, rarely has positive results.\n\n<strong>5)      </strong><strong>If a church leadership team actively and effectively communicated appreciation to each other, what might this look like? What changes might take place in the church as a whole?</strong>\n\nI recently asked a group of pastors these questions: Do you think you would become better or worse as a pastor if you felt genuinely appreciated by your staff and congregation? What positive effects would you expect to see in your church if your staff and volunteers felt truly valued for what they do?\n\nImmediately, the room started to buzz.  Pastors were smiling, nodding their heads, and talking to each other.  They started to see the potential impact of effectively communicated encouragement and appreciation on their church’s relationships.  When people feel valued for who they are and what they contribute, trust me, good things happen!\n\n<strong>About the Book: </strong><em><a href=\"http://www.appreciationatwork.com\" target=\"_blank\">The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace </a></em>applies the “love language” concept of New York Times bestseller, <em>The 5 Love Languages, </em>to the workplace.<em> </em>This book helps supervisors and managers effectively communicate appreciation and encouragement to their employees, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, healthier relationships between managers and employees, and decreased cases of burnout. Ideal for both the profit and non-profit sectors, the principles presented in this book have a proven history of success in businesses, schools, medical offices, churches, and industry. Each book contains an access code for the reader to take a comprehensive <a href=\"http://mbainventory.com/\">online MBA Inventory (Motivating By Appreciation)</a> - a $20 value.','Why Pastor Appreciation is Vital to Church Health','','inherit','open','open','','2264-revision','','','2011-11-15 11:42:29','2011-11-15 19:42:29','',2264,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/15/2264-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(2268,95,'2011-11-15 11:53:41','2011-11-15 19:53:41','The joke is that no one goes into ministry for the money, a truism for many ministry leaders and volunteers today. But there is another kind of currency to thank and support those who have made it their occupation to serve the Lord, Dr. Paul White says, and that is through appreciation.\r\n\r\nDr. Paul White is a psychologist and business consultant with over 20 years of experience in \"making work relationships work,\" and now, teamed up with coauthor Dr. Gary Chapman, they have released <em><a href=\"http://www.appreciationatwork.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace</a>. </em>Below, Dr. White answers a few questions about how appreciation can breathe new life into church leadership.\r\n\r\n<strong>1)      </strong><strong>In <em>The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, </em>you mention that pastors and ministry leaders have a unique relationship to their vocation because income is a practical factor in ministry careers, but the driving motivation is “a sense of spiritual calling and a desire to serve others.” Do you see appreciation affecting pastors differently than those in other vocations?</strong>\r\n\r\nMy answer is an emphatic “yes” and “no.”  I see appreciation playing a similar role in pastoral positions and other helping positions (social workers, counselors, missionaries, teachers, doctors) because all of these share the perception that they serve because they were called to serve; they are not doing it for praise or recognition from others.  But pastors are unique in their position of spiritual authority, and the common belief that they should receive their encouragement from God.  While this is partially true, the pastor as well as every member of the congregation are part of the Body of Christ and are clearly instructed to encourage and support one another.\r\n\r\n<strong>2)      </strong><strong>Burnout is common among ministry workers and volunteers. How do you think appreciation can help prevent this?</strong>\r\n\r\nBurnout is essentially the result in a person’s life when the demands of others outweigh the resources he or she has to meet those demands, especially when this tension stretches over a long period of time.\r\n\r\nThere are internal ways to increase our resources (rest, exercise, recreation, spiritual disciplines) and there are external ways to become rejuvenated (encouragement, gifts, companionship).  Acts of encouragement and appreciation which are meaningful to the recipient and repeated over time can certainly stem the tide of encroaching burnout – but one big act of encouragement when a minister is already “fried” isn’t enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>3)      </strong><strong>What are some simple, practical ways a congregation can appreciate their pastor(s)?</strong>\r\n\r\nFirst and foremost, a congregation needs to <em>find out what makes their pastor feel appreciated.</em>\r\n\r\nSo many well-meaning people put the cart before the horse—“We need to do this for Pastor Johnson…” or “I heard about a church that …We should do that, too.”  But copying other ideas without understanding the individual and what is important to him or her leave you missing the target repeatedly. For example, I am not a pastor, but my church once gave me a Starbucks gift card as a thank-you for a seminar I had recently taught. Unfortunately, I don’t drink coffee. The gift was a generous gesture; however, it missed the mark.\r\n\r\nTake the time and initiative to ask them what would make them feel appreciated and valued – or have them take the <em><a href=\"http://mbainventory.com/\">Motivating By Appreciation Inventory</a> </em>so you can find out both their preferred language of appreciation and the actions that are meaningful to them.  Often it is hard to come up with ideas that will be effective on the spur of the moment.\r\n\r\n<strong>4)      </strong><strong>Is it ever possible for attempts to communicate appreciation to backfire? </strong>\r\n\r\nIf people didn’t have negative experiences in this area, we would never be asked this question—and we frequently are!  Attempting to encourage or show appreciation to someone most often backfires when there is an unresolved relational issue.  When we ignore a conflict and proceed to put on a superficial show of appreciation, resentment follows closely behind.  Inauthentic appreciation, or appreciation perceived as inauthentic, rarely has positive results.\r\n\r\n<strong>5)      </strong><strong>If a church leadership team actively and effectively communicated appreciation to each other, what might this look like? What changes might take place in the church as a whole?</strong>\r\n\r\nI recently asked a group of pastors these questions: Do you think you would become better or worse as a pastor if you felt genuinely appreciated by your staff and congregation? What positive effects would you expect to see in your church if your staff and volunteers felt truly valued for what they do?\r\n\r\nImmediately, the room started to buzz.  Pastors were smiling, nodding their heads, and talking to each other.  They started to see the potential impact of effectively communicated encouragement and appreciation on their church’s relationships.  When people feel valued for who they are and what they contribute, trust me, good things happen!\r\n\r\n<strong>About the Book: </strong><em><a href=\"http://www.appreciationatwork.com\" target=\"_blank\">The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace </a></em>applies the “love language” concept of New York Times bestseller, <em>The 5 Love Languages, </em>to the workplace.<em> </em>This book helps supervisors and managers effectively communicate appreciation and encouragement to their employees, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, healthier relationships between managers and employees, and decreased cases of burnout. Ideal for both the profit and non-profit sectors, the principles presented in this book have a proven history of success in businesses, schools, medical offices, churches, and industry. Each book contains an access code for the reader to take a comprehensive <a href=\"http://mbainventory.com/\">online MBA Inventory (Motivating By Appreciation)</a> - a $20 value.','Why Pastor Appreciation is Vital to Church Health','','inherit','open','open','','2264-revision-2','','','2011-11-15 11:53:41','2011-11-15 19:53:41','',2264,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/15/2264-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(2269,78,'2011-11-17 10:00:20','2011-11-17 18:00:20','<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>If an all-powerful and perfectly good god exists, then evil does not. Evil exists. Therefore, an all-powerful and perfectly good god does not.</strong></p>\r\nThis logically valid deductive argument presents a conundrum for theists and is often--understandably--used as an argument by atheists against the existence of God. Epicurus, one of the earliest philosophers known to have raised what is known as the Problem of Evil, has this to say: “Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. If God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?”<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><sup>2</sup></span></strong> It is a weighty question, indeed; if god exists, why does he allow evil in the world? He does so because the ability of humans to freely choose between right and wrong trumps the dissolution of moral evil and secondly, becaue natural evil is necessary for the value of free will.\r\n\r\nFor the purposes of clarity, we must offer up the following definitions:\r\n<strong>“God”</strong> will be in reference to the Judeo-Christian understanding of God (i.e. omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent.)\r\n<strong>“Moral evil”</strong> is evil or suffering that results from the immoral choices of free creatures.\r\n<strong>“Natural evil”</strong> is suffering that results from the functions of nature or nature gone wrong (e.g. famine, natural disasters, cancer, etc.)\r\n\r\nIf God is perfectly good, then he would want the greatest good for humankind. The greater good is not the lack of evil in the world, but rather moral free will, the ability to choose between right and wrong. Philosopher Alvin Plantinga offers this response:\r\n<blockquote>“God could not eliminate much of the evil and suffering in this world without thereby eliminating the greater good of having created persons with free will with whom he could have relationships and who are able to love one another and do good deeds.” <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><sup>1</sup></strong></span></blockquote>\r\nA counter to this defense is that free will could still exist, but without the choice for moral evil. Indeed, humans could be created to only make good moral choices—simply choosing between alternative actions, both of them good. But in such a “toy world”,<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><sup>4</sup></span> free will has no real value. Richard Swineburg, a professor at the University of Oxford, says that “free and responsible choice is free will to make significant choices between good and evil, which make a big difference to the agent, to others, and to the world.” <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><sup>3</sup></strong></span>\r\n\r\nThe only way to remove moral evil is to quantify all acts as being good because any reduction in that good would be a form of moral evil. Humans make choices based on the varying moral values of said choices and if all things are of equal good, then there would be no value. Free will is the ability of humans to make choices of moral value, not just simply deciding between two alternative actions. If God takes away the value of those choices, then “free will” is rendered valueless.\r\n\r\nHowever, even if a perfectly good God is justified in allowing moral evil to exist, the existence of natural evil remains to be explained. There are two reasons for natural evil.\r\n\r\n1) To make it possible for humans to exercise their free will.\r\n\r\n2) To make available especially worthwhile choices for humans.\r\n\r\nSwineburg suggests that there are two ways in which natural evil operates to give humans these worthwhile choices. The first is that the operation of natural laws producing evils gives humans knowledge of how to bring about such evils themselves. It could be argued that this knowledge could be given to us by God without the need for suffering. Of course this is possible, but if we were directly informed of the consequences of our actions, it would eliminate the need—and the will—for seeking out knowledge ourselves. We would no longer desire to discover the consequences ourselves through research or experimentation. Because of this pre-existing knowledge, our free-will would be limited because we would know the right choice and be inclined to make it. It is only through natural process that humans obtain knowledge to the effects of their actions without inhibiting their freedom.\r\n\r\nThe second way that natural evil operates to give humans choices is to make possible certain kinds of choices; it increases the range of significant choice. As previously stated, humans make choices based on the varying moral values of said choices and if all things are of equal good, then there would be no value. Likewise, if there is more variance in the level of goodness of the choices, so there is more value in the choices made. Swineburg gives the following example of this:\r\n<blockquote>“A particular natural evil, such as pain, gives the sufferer a choice—whether to endure it with patience or to bemoan is his lot. His friend can choose whether to show compassion towards the sufferer, or to be callous. The pain makes possible these choices, which would not otherwise exist.” <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><sup>3 </sup></strong></span></blockquote>\r\nBut these opportunities for good choices could become available through the actions of moral evil without the need for suffering caused by natural processes. A soldier who saves his comrade in the midst of battle is no more brave than the man who risks his life to save a child from drowning in river rapids. This is true. However, there is so much suffering of mind and body caused by disease, earthquake and accidents unpreventable by humans, that many people would not be afforded much of a chance to make good moral choices.<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><sup>3  </sup></strong></span>They would be unable to manifest much in the way of goodness at all. Humans need these sinister natural processes in order to be given opportunities they would not otherwise have. It is necessary for the value of our free will.\r\n\r\nDespite these explanations for evil in the world, this fact remains: evil is still evil and it is the causal factor of great suffering in the world. However, the existance of evil by no means negates the existance of God. Without this evil, we would be left without free will; we would be no more than mindless robots. Without great evil, there could be no great good.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<sup>1) Beebe, James R. \"Logical Problem of Evil.\" <em>Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy</em>. University of Tennessee at Martin. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.\r\n2) Haught, James A. <em>2000 Years of Disbelief: Famous People with the Courage to Doubt</em>. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 1996. Print.\r\n3) Swineburg, Richard. \"Why God Allows Evil.\" <em>Exploring Philosophy: an Introductory Anthology</em>. By Steven M. Cahn. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. 191-202. Print.\r\n4) \"The Problem of Evil (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).\" <em>Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy</em>. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.</sup>\r\n\r\n<em>Photo Credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diloz/5038789369/\">Azlan Dupree</a></em>','The (Non)Problem Of Evil','','publish','open','open','','the-nonproblem-of-evil','','','2011-11-16 08:52:42','2011-11-16 16:52:42','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=2269',0,'post','',7),(2270,78,'2011-11-15 12:37:28','2011-11-15 20:37:28','<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">If an all-powerful and perfectly good god exists, then evil does not. Evil exists. Therefore, an all-powerful and perfectly good god does not.</p>\n</blockquote>\nThis logically valid deductive argument presents a conundrum for theists and is often--understandably--used as an argument by atheists against the existance of God. Epicurus, one of the earliest philosophers known to have raised the problem of evil has this to say: “Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. If God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?”<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><sup>2</sup></span></strong> It is a weighty question, indeed; if god exists, why does he allow evil in the world? He does so because the ability of humans to freely choose between right and wrong trumps the dissolution of moral evil and secondly, becaue natural evil is necessary for the value of free will.\n\nFor the purposes of clarity, we must offer up the following definitions:\n“God” will be in reference to the Judeo-Christian understanding of God (i.e. omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent.)\n“Moral evil” is evil or suffering that results from the immoral choices of free creatures.\n“Natural evil” is or suffering that results from the functions of nature or nature gone wrong (e.g. famine, natural disasters, cancer, etc.)\n\nIf God is perfectly good, then he would want the greatest good for humankind. The greater good is not the lack of evil in the world, but rather moral free will, the ability to choose between right and wrong. Philosopher Alvin Plantinga offers this response:\n<blockquote>“God could not eliminate much of the evil and suffering in this world without thereby eliminating the greater good of having created persons with free will with whom he could have relationships and who are able to love one another and do good deeds.” <span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong><sup>1</sup></strong></span></blockquote>\nA counter to this defense is that free will could still exist, but without the choice for moral evil. Indeed, humans could be created to only make good moral choices—simply choosing between alternative actions, both of them good. But in such a “toy world”,<span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><sup>4</sup></span> free will has no real value. Richard Swineburg, a professor at the University of Oxford, says that “free and responsible choice is free will to make significant choices between good and evil, which make a big difference to the agent, to others, and to the world.” <span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong><sup>3</sup></strong></span>\n\nThe only way to remove moral evil is to quantify all acts as being good because any reduction in that good would be a form of moral evil. Humans make choices based on the varying moral values of said choices and if all things are of equal good, then there would be no value. Free will is the ability of humans to make choices of moral value, not just simply deciding between two alternative actions. If God takes away the value of those choices, then “free will” is rendered valueless.\n\nHowever, even if a perfectly good God is justified in allowing moral evil to exist, the existence of natural evil remains to be explained. There are two reasons for natural evil.\n\n1) To make it possible for humans to exercise their free will.\n\n2) To make available especially worthwhile choices for humans.\n\nSwineburg suggests that there are two ways in which natural evil operates to give humans these worthwhile choices. The first is that the operation of natural laws producing evils gives humans knowledge of how to bring about such evils themselves. It could be argued that this knowledge could be given to us by God without the need for suffering. Of course this is possible, but if we were directly informed of the consequences of our actions, it would eliminate the need—and the will—for seeking out knowledge ourselves. We would no longer desire to discover the consequences ourselves through research or experimentation. Because of this pre-existing knowledge, our free-will would be limited because we would know the right choice and be inclined to make it. It is only through natural process that humans obtain knowledge to the effects of their actions without inhibiting their freedom.\n\nThe second way that natural evil operates to give humans choices is to make possible certain kinds of choices; it increases the range of significant choice. As previously stated, humans make choices based on the varying moral values of said choices and if all things are of equal good, then there would be no value. Likewise, if there is more variance in the level of goodness of the choices, so there is more value in the choices made. Swineburg gives the following example of this:\n<blockquote>“A particular natural evil, such as pain, gives the sufferer a choice—whether to endure it with patience or to bemoan is his lot. His friend can choose whether to show compassion towards the sufferer, or to be callous. The pain makes possible these choices, which would not otherwise exist.” <strong><sup>3 </sup></strong></blockquote>\nBut these opportunities for good choices could become available through the actions of moral evil without the need for suffering caused by natural processes. A soldier who saves his comrade in the midst of battle is no more brave than the man who risks his life to save a child from drowning in river rapids. This is true. However, there is so much suffering of mind and body caused by disease, earthquake and accidents unpreventable by humans, that many people would not be afforded much of a chance to make good moral choices.<span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong><sup>3 </sup></strong></span>They would be unable to manifest much in the way of goodness at all. Humans need these sinister natural processes in order to be given opportunities they would not otherwise have. It is necessary for the value of our free will.\n\nDespite these explanations for evil in the world, this fact remains: evil is still evil and it is the causal factor of great suffering in the world. However, the existance of evil by no means negates the existance of God. Without this evil, we would be left without free will; we would be no more than mindless robots. Without great evil, there could be no great good.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><sup>1) Beebe, James R. \"Logical Problem of Evil.\" <em>Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy</em>. University of Tennessee at Martin. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.\n2) Haught, James A. <em>2000 Years of Disbelief: Famous People with the Courage to Doubt</em>. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 1996. Print.\n3) Swineburg, Richard. \"Why God Allows Evil.\" <em>Exploring Philosophy: an Introductory Anthology</em>. By Steven M. Cahn. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. 191-202. Print.\n4) \"The Problem of Evil (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).\" <em>Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy</em>. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.</sup></strong>','','','inherit','open','open','','2269-revision','','','2011-11-15 12:37:28','2011-11-15 20:37:28','',2269,'http://provoketive.com/2011/11/15/2269-revision/',0,'revision','',0),