Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: " . . . His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness" . . .
(From 2 Peter 1:3, NKJV)

I've been thinking about the many times and ways that we form groups, cliques, or clans. We include some people, and exclude others.

They drew a circle that shut me out;
A rebel, a heretic, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took them in.

I got to wondering about the meaning of the word "clusion, as in, "We've got clusion." Hmmm . . .I couldn't find it in the dictionary, by itself, anyway. I guess that it belongs to that great family of things that are not complete standing alone, like a train of railroad cars without the engine.
Think of a family name, like Smith, or Jones. We need to know if it is Sam or Harry, Jim or Mary. I find that there is a 'family' name of sorts, the 'clude' family, coming from the Latin word, claudere, meaning 'to close.' We might say that some words are like a tractor-trailer rig, in the sense that the trailer carries the load (of meaning) but won't get anywhere without a power source of some kind - the tractor part. Putting it all together, we get in-clude, meaning to enclose, or to embrace. The opposite is to close out, or ex-clude. The act of 'closing' could be either close in (inclusion) or close out (exclusion.)
There is a lot of that going on - inclusion or exclusion, that is. Think about it . . .
Snippets of words, like 'clusion,' are not very useful standing alone; neither are we. God noted that, "It is not good that man should be alone," and created a helper comparable to him. (Genesis 2:18) Personal relationships receive the most emphasis of anything in the Bible. From Cain's cynical denial, "Am I my brother's keeper?" to Paul's summary of responsibilities to God, society and higher powers of Roman's chapter 12, it all comes down to how we draw the circles of 'clusion.
We need to periodically pause to critically examine our circles, pondering the community that we embrace, and especially the community that we bar from participation, consideration, or inclusion.
Who is our neighbor, our brother or sister? Jesus answered the question with the parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:29-37) We are to step outside of our enclosing circles, and to go and have compassion and show mercy to those we have otherwise excluded.
Circles of 'clusion are very powerful forces. Consider the many problems in the world that stem from those groups, cliques, or clans. We call it prejudice, and it may be based on ethnic, gender, age, national origin, or even religious grounds. Sports allegiances give power to the word Fan, from the word fanatic, "marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion."
Woe betide those who step outside the favored circle. That person risks becoming one of 'them' instead of one of 'us,' risking condemnation and exclusion.
Again, just as 'clusion is ambiguous without the empowerment phrase of 'in' or 'ex' to show whether we are including or excluding, keep in mind that the word Christian is like that also. A Christ -person, in the fullest sense, is empowered by Christ. Take Christ out of Christian, and it is like taking the battery out of a flashlight. The "Light of the World" can not shine on us, nor from us, without that empowerment.
Like it or not, we've got 'clusion. We are sort of like a semi trailer, sitting by the side of the road . . . waiting, waiting, going nowhere. We need a power source to get anywhere. Whether we are in Christ's circle or not is up to us. Are you IN-cluded?
January 28, 2007

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Community
* Scripture: Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather, and like vinegar on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. (Proverbs 25:20, NKJV)

Mind your manners! Have we lost common courtesy and consideration of others in what is often described as the "Me!" and "Now!" generations? Many people think so, and observation seems to bear out that the practice of good manners has certainly changed over recent years.
It is impossible to have a community without communication. Communication is the key element in an "interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location," according to my dictionary.
While we may hold many things in common in our respective communities, such as language and custom, the 'glue' that holds it all together is courtesy, or manners.
Proper manners are based on social conduct or rules of conduct as shown in the prevalent customs. Courtesy is marked by respect for and consideration of others. We would do well to follow what is called the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do to you.
The Apostle Paul noted that there is a time to "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15)
The scripture passage from Proverbs speaks to proper manners, to courtesy and respect in the presence of one who has a "heavy heart." . The Living Bible translates the passage this way; "Being happy-go-lucky around a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing his jacket in cold weather, or rubbing salt in his wounds."
There is indeed a time and purpose for everything under heaven, as observed by the author of Ecclesiastes (Chapter 3.) There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. The person who understands the appropriate differences, and acts accordingly, is practicing good manners.
Some seem to have a knack of "rubbing people the wrong way," or "ruffling feathers." Do they not know, or simply don't care, of the effect their actions or words have on other people? A contentious person stirs up strife. Tit for tat, and we want to hit back - in word or deed. It takes a strong person, well rooted in good manners and blessed with understanding, to resist the urge to retaliate. Rather, we should try to get along with other people, to live in peace rather than strife.
True religion is more than worship, which is the root of good relationships. Jesus taught many things about good relationships, including loving God and your neighbor. Paul wrote about living as parts of one body (1 Corinthians 12) and of faith, hope, and love (Chapter 13, the Love Chapter.)
No matter the time, no matter the place, the "greatest of these is love."
August 13, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Are We Flowing?
I did indeed pick up a few seeds to think about at the District Leadership Training day. One seed got me to thinking about the seas in Israel. Rain and melting snow from the mountains flows through the sea of Galilee, becomes the Jordan River, and ends in the Dead Sea. Now, think about the difference in the two seas. The Sea of Galilee is alive! Today, as in Jesus day, people live near it. Fish and other living plants and animals live in it. Why? Because there is a steady flow of fresh water coming into it, refreshing the lake, nurturing it. The Dead Sea has no outlet. The Jordan River flows in, the water evaporates, leaving behind salt and minerals that do not support life. It is dead. Now, think about the church. What caught my eye was this comment on the flow of a congregation. People come into the congregation from the community, are transformed, nurtured, sent back into the world to witness and serve, and return to the Christian community for a deeper relationship with God and growth in discipleship. Congregations that have the River of Life FLOWING through them live. No Flow, No Go! The result is stagnation, nurturing neither themselves, or the world. (1/19/1997)