Planer Graphs and Dr. Seuss

Without getting too technical I want to talk to you about graphs. You know, those things you probably hated to do in math class. When you get into a little more advanced mathematics it’s important to know if a graph is planer or not. That’s p-l-a-n-e-r. In other words, do all of the connectors on the graph lie in the same plane with no overlapping connectors?

The following graphs show simple planer graphs.

The second shows the connectors overlapping, however it can be redrawn in “planer” fashion as shown below.

The last shows a non-planer graph. The connectors overlap. It cannot be redrawn to eliminate the intersections.

Our lives are not planer. We have to interact with others. It’s called life. It’s the place where change occurs, decisions are made. When you met your spouse, that moment became an intersection for you. The two of you were traveling different directions. The dynamics at that intersection were strong enough to take both of you a different direction.

Sadly, many live their lives trying to avoid the intersections. They order the various aspects of their life with as few intersections as possible. This is not how God created you to live. Others think they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, regardless of what others may think; go any direction they choose without thought of who or what may be in their way. This is not how God created us to live.

Dr. Seuss is an amazing theologian. He wrote a book about Zax.

One day, making tracks In the prairie of Prax, 

Came a North-Going Zax And a South-Going Zax. 

And it happened that both of them came to a place 

Where they bumped. There they stood.Foot to foot. Face to face.  

“Look here, now!” the North-Going Zax said, “I say! 

You are blocking my path. You are right in my way. 

I’m a North-Going Zax and I always go north. 

Get out of my way, now, and let me go forth!”  

“Who’s in whose way?” snapped the South-Going Zax. 

“I always go south, making south-going tracks. 

So you’re in MY way! And I ask you to move 

And let me go south in my south-going groove.”  

Then the North-Going Zax puffed his chest up with pride. 

“I never,” he said, “take a step to one side. 

And I’ll prove to you that I won’t change my ways 

If I have to keep standing here fifty-nine days!”  

“And I’ll prove to YOU,” yelled the South-Going Zax, 

“That I can stand here in the prairie of Prax 

For fifty-nine years! For I live by a rule 

That I learned as a boy back in South-Going School. 

Never budge! That’s my rule. Never budge in the least! 

Not an inch to the west! Not an inch to the east! 

I’ll stay here, not budging! I can and I will 

If it makes you and me and the whole world stand still!”  

Well...Of course the world didn’t stand still. The world grew. 

In a couple of years, the new highway came through 

And they built it right over those two stubborn Zax 

And left them there, standing un-budged in their tracks.

When we’re born, we have a pre-disposition to go a certain direction, the way of Adam. Jesus came to be an intersection in our life. He forces us to make decisions, to change direction. Jesus comes to us to show us “The Way, The Truth, The Life.” We now have a choice to make. Do we continue to follow “our” path or do we choose His way for us?

This is where the phrase “cross roads” comes from. You see, the roadway system is not planer! In the early days of automobiles there were some strange procedures developed to ensure you did not have a collision at intersections, or cross roads. You first had to stop the vehicle and shut off the engine. You then sounded your horn to indicate your presence. If there was no response it was suggested that you then fire a shot with your gun to indicate you were about to enter the intersection; very different than today’s driving.

If you notice, there’s always traffic control devices at cross roads. It’s as simple as a stop sign, or as complex as multiple direction traffic lights. These are all designed to keep us out of trouble.

The same is true when you begin your journey on the path of Christ. Our spiritual “traffic controller” is the Holy Spirit. That is why it is so important to learn to hear His voice. He speaks to give us information that will help as we traverse the non-planer graph known as the Christian life.

Communion is one such “cross roads” that we must choose to encounter. It’s a built in rest stop on our journey where we can take opportunity to rest our souls, check the tires, see if there’s anything that is going un-noticed on our vehicle, and deal with it. Paul said to “consider the Lord’s body” to see if there’s anything unclean in us. It gives us a chance to adjust our course, check our map to see if we are still on track with the Holy Spirit, pursuing the destiny that we took on when we encountered Jesus at the “Salvation Cross Road.”

It is not ironic that the symbol of our faith today is a cross. As a matter of fact, it is the very reason Jesus came from heaven to earth. He came to “cross” our path to introduce us to the Father. What will you do with your “Cross road” moment? Let’s choose well. Let us choose Christ.

If Wal Mart Can Sell Valentines At Christmas, I Can Talk About Easter At New Years

It's amazing to me how retail has started getting the jump on every holiday. I remember standing in Cracker Barrel in early August. There was, of course, football everything and the remnants of July 4th, but also Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas merchandise everywhere. I was in Wal Mart on Christmas Eve and noticed Valentine's Day displays. It's pretty crazy, but not more crazy than a minister of music's life.

While the Christmas decorations are still hanging I'm in full-blown Easter mode. Actually, I've been working on it for about a month, even before we performed our Christmas music at church. It's just the way it is.

This year I'm working on a new approach to telling the Easter story. I would like some input on this, so if you're willing, so please comment either here or on Facebook. Or, you can private message or even e-mail if you prefer to be more anonymous at ibworshipin@gmail.com.

The things I'm looking for are the elements of the story you find most compelling, and why. Was it the triumphant entry, or the Passover meal with the disciples? Perhaps the trials, betrayals, etc.? Gethsemane? The crucifixion itself? What about the burial, or the resurrection? How about the Emmaus Road experience, or other sightings of Jesus after the resurrection? The ascension?

I'm looking at some of the backstory to why Easter was needed in the first place. Things like the Garden of Eden - the place of original sin. Or the deliverance from Egypt - instituting the Passover. And then there are numerous prophecies, types, and shadows of how Messiah would die, be resurrected, even the method by which He would die.

Any thoughts you have along these lines would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking forward to hearing some of the elements you find most interesting about Easter. Thanks in advance.

By the way, any unique ideas I choose to use I will give you credit, if I know who you are.

Any Day Can Be New Year's Day

My friend, Jeff Jenkins, posted something today that brought a verse to mind. He said, "It's not just the beginning of every New Year that we can have a fresh start, it's the beginning of every day! Every new day is God’s invitation to a start all over again."

In Exodus 12, before Israel had been delivered from Egypt, God spoke to them and said, "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.” Exodus 12:2 (ESV)

Regardless of your circumstances, even while you are still in the middle of the problem, your life can be changed. Any day is an opportunity to begin a new life, get a fresh start, begin to live, maybe for the very first time!

Never consider your life over. I have several friends fighting for their life against disease. Today could be the day that God speaks a new beginning for them. Even if you're not facing something this dire or dramatic, it still matters to God. He wants you to have the life Jesus bought for you through His sacrifice on the cross. In John 10:10 Jesus said, "I came to give you abundant life." Abundant means, "The God kind of life." The life He gives exceeds anything you could imagine.

Be willing to allow God to change your circumstances. Like Israel in Egypt, they had to believe what God said to them and act on it. The result was freedom for centuries of captivity.

A new day. What a concept. Literally, a new beginning.

Improvement vs. Criticizing

I notice problems. I don't consciously look for them. They just pop out at me. This can be both a blessing and a curse. When you are attempting to fix something that is broken it is a good thing. When you are listening to something inspirational, not so much.

I know others that have this knack in them. The most important thing is what is done with the information. I attempt to use the newly identified problem to help improve things. If I notice something not working correctly on the soda fountain at the local fast-food chain, I bring it to the attention of the manager so they can correct it. If the door-closer at the church is broken I report it to the person responsible for building maintenance. Because of this, I consider myself an Improver.

Others, when learning of a problem or an issue, will tell everyone except the person that can correct the problem. These folks are Criticizers. They have no desire to see anything improve. Instead, they seek opportunities to point out flaws in others.

There are others, still, that simply do not notice the problems at all. These are called Happy People. Sometimes I wish I was one.

I remember a quote, but cannot recall the source. I believe it was from a CEO that said, "For every problem you bring to the board you also need to bring at least two possible solutions." Be an Improver!

Triggers - An Interesting Concept

Roy Roger's horse was named Trigger, but that's not the subject of today's blog. The mechanism that begins the process of firing a gun is also called a trigger, but again, not the topic.

Psychologists refer to something as a trigger that causes an emotional response. It can be a word (or just a sound), a song, a picture, a smell - just about anything - that when experienced brings an immediate emotional response. The brain has indexed certain experiences by these triggers and performs immediate recall. It is almost involuntary the way we are moved by these triggers.

The reaction to a trigger is actually a habit. You may not even be aware you have the habit. Some habits are so "comfortable" or "natural" that they are not seen as habits. That's one reason habits are hard to break. Habits, however, are not all bad. The habit of waking at a certain time because the trigger (alarm clock) set off the morning routine can help start your day on a productive note.

As we approach the new year many begin to evaluate life to see if anything needs to change. Resolutions are made, and quickly broken, because the old habits do not yield to the new ones. It takes conscious effort to make a new GOOD habit.

Back to triggers. The habits that cause us the most problems are those brought on by triggers that we do not even recognize. Why do we have sudden outbursts of anger? Overwhelming sadness can come on us suddenly and we cannot seem to put our finger on the "why". Something has triggered the response. Identifying the trigger can help begin the change that is needed to thwart the undesirable behavior.

Sometimes it may require help from a professional counselor. I'm married to a really good one if you happen to be in the market. Many times we cannot see the pattern or habitual behavior that keeps us in a non-productive cycle.

A habit is made up of three components: trigger, action, reward. Yes, your habits are designed to bring a reward. The trigger and reward are usually not the problem. It's the actions we take in between the two that cause the problems. If we can identify the trigger, we can then alter the behavior (action) that follows, and still reap the reward afterward. We simply replace the action with something that will bring a good outcome instead of the destructive actions we normally choose.

Regardless of when you begin, it will require constant attention until one day you are simply doing the new action "habitually". That is the beginning of a new life. Not habit-free, but productive instead of destructive. Live well!

Me Three

Disclaimer: This is not an opinion article about the #METOO movement.

I think it can safely be stated that the prevalent state of mind, at least for us in the Western culture, is "Me". This is not new. It has simply been amplified though all of the forms of media we have at our disposal.

Self-preservation is a core impulse built into our very fiber.
1. When faced with danger our body automatically kicks into "fight or flight" response.
2. When great emotional stress is placed on us our brain can disconnect (become dissociative), in order to preserve our well being.
3. Deflecting the blame is as old as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

I remember from my childhood when a group of kids would be asked a question, one would immediately begin to cry out, "Me, me, me!" Another would chime in with, "Me, too!" Then another, "Me, three!" We all want to be chosen. We all want to be considered special. When we perceive this is not the case, it can cause poor behavior in order to attract attention. Other, out of their frustration, may actually attempt to harm themselves, or others.

In these days let us remember to treat everyone with respect, even if we do not feel they deserve it. That is not our call. Give them the same respect you would want to receive. Speak a kind word. Give a smile. You never know how it might affect their day.

The Game Called Communication

Language has become my favorite pastime. There are so many things about it that keeps me curious, but here a few for you to consider.

When I took Spanish in college, the first few chapters of the text was incredible. It described the near perfect language that had rules for everything (and I love rules). We studied verb conjugation, looking at the vosotros and nosotros forms. I loved it. It all made sense. Then the most dreaded chapter in the entire text appeared: Irregular Verbs. That's when I started hating Spanish.

It is interesting however, that English has the same problems, it's just that I grew up learning English. The most common irregular verbs are verbs of being. Words like is, am, are, was, were, etc. If you did not speak the language you would not immediately recognize how closely these are related. But, all of them speak of the same subject: states of being.

Perhaps we have such a difficult time communicating our state of being that our language reflects this. It is something to consider.

Another thing that makes language difficult is the use of idioms and colloquial expressions. Several stories from speaking with interpreters come to mind. The term "brand new" makes perfect sense in our Western culture, but Kenyan's have no idea what it means. The word "snit" does not translate well either.

A term my mom used often was "off like a jug handle." Many have never seen a jug, and did not know they had handles. Add the Southern drawl to it is unintelligible to most.

Yet, we still have to communicate, and our native tongue is the best shot we have of getting our message across. The only thing I know to do is keep trying.