A Time to Play

Children_playing_in_street,_New_YorkThe word “play” is derived from the Old English term “plegan” meaning to dance, to leap for joy, to rejoice, and to be glad. The other term it comes from “plega” means to exercise or occupy oneself, to busy oneself.

Often times, play involves both exercising and rejoicing, occupying ourselves while being glad. So we know what play is, but why do we do it? And how do we do it?

First, the why. Do we play to rid ourselves of excess energy? Do we play to learn new roles (like girls playing house or boys playing Tonka trucks? Do we play to relieve mental fatigue? To get our bodies to relax? To have an outlet (when angry, frustrated, etc.)? Do we play to arouse endorphins and adrenaline? To get caught in the moment? To learn life lessons (endurance, teamwork, etc.)?

Perhaps, it’s a combination of all of them. Or perhaps it depends on the circumstance or activity.

For me, most of these reasons have come into play at some point in time. In the course of life, I’m sure I’ve played for every one of those reasons, and I’m sure you have too. But I’m curious about the how. How do we play?

I play in odd ball ways. I write. I read. I organize. These are play activities for my soul. When the weather is nice, I bike and play softball. All these activities bring freedom; I’m good at them; I’m motivated as a result of doing them; and they positively impact me. So what about you?

What do you do to play, to exercise or occupy yourself in a rejoicing and leap-for-joy-kind-of-way?

Why Live?

Sometimes I fear that life is about big factories, big banks, big churches, and big houses.

Or maybe it’s about who scores the most points, who has the most money, who has the most sex, who drives the nicest car.

Then I go to a funeral and remember its about how many people you’re life affected and what type of affect that was.

Lawn Care: Curse or Blessing?

Early in the Bible, God creates man and puts him to work in a garden. Awhile later, man screws up. As a result, God tells man he will still have to work the land, but now his work will be more difficult. He will have to sweat and toil, fighting the thorns and such. People usually refer to this as “The Curse.” Man “falls” and God pronounces “the curse.”

Any man who has ever had to do physical labor knows what this curse thing means. It’s not that all men hate physical labor; in fact, many would say they enjoy it. The curse, however, comes when things don’t go right: when you work hard and make no progress, when you work hard and no one takes notice, when you work hard and it doesn’t go according to plan. The thorns, the extra toil and sweat. In these moments, men are painfully aware of the curse.

But I wonder, could working the land be a blessing?

Flash back to last Saturday morning. We had unusually warm temperatures in Mount Vernon, Illinois. We didn’t need jackets and I was considering putting on a pair of shorts. Mid-60s, early January. Because of the nice weather, I decided to do lawn work. We had leaves all over the yard, brush all over our landscaping and flowers–it looked atrocious. So I worked the land, and while I did, I pondered this notion:

I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.

See, I work hard in other others of life, but when it comes to lawn care, I’ve been lax. But thinking about this proverb, I realized there’s a link between poverty and not caring for your environment. And the more I thought about it, the converse might be true. Wealth and riches might be tied to taking care of your land. Think about it: what does the lawn look like in a trailer park or a poverty stricken area? What do lawns look like in the wealthy neighborhoods?beautiful-lawn

The Bible Jesus Read

I just finished the book, “The Bible Jesus Read” by Philip Yancey. I give it two thumbs and two big toes up! Find a copy and read it. You’ll be rocked.

As for what I learned from it: Too much to post here. I will say I have a newfound appreciation for the Old Testament. I look forward to getting into the Prophets; I don’t dread them. And I think I will enjoy going through Deuteronomy soon as well.

Let me close with this, because I want you to go read the book yourself, rather than me telling you all about it here. When I finished the chapter on The Prophets, I almost cried. I certainly repented, for I have not respected, nor desired to read The Prophets. I was so torn up because this is, after all, the section of Scripture in which God talks back!

Walk

The word walk can invoke all sorts of images and emotions.

Maybe you take a long, leisurely walk on a lovely, fall day (like my family did today). Maybe you fight the biting, arctic chills to walk into the stores and do some shopping for the holidays. Maybe you rejoice at watching your baby walk for the first time ever (as I did just a few months ago). Maybe you briskly walk on the treadmill to get into shape. Or, maybe, you just walk, with no real emotion or goal in mind.

Sadly, I think many people walk with no goal in mind. People go to college because that’s what you do after you finish high school. People get a job because that’s what you do when you finish school. People tie the knot and start having kids because that’s what you do when you become an adult.

Please don’t misunderstand me, by all means, go learn as much as you can. By all means, find a job and start working, so you have something to do every day. By all means, find a spouse that loves you for who you are and start procreating. These can all be tremendous blessings.

But don’t just walk into these things haphazardly. Don’t do them just because “that’s what people do.”

Do these things with a focused intentionality, with a worthwhile purpose, with a deep-seated desire. Do these things with an end in mind.

And friends, the only place you’ll find that intentionality, that purpose, that desire is in Jesus, the Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. He is where the real walk will begin…

and end.

Love. Sex. God. Pt3

The last post focused primarily on single people. This post is primarily for married people.

Simple summary for simple people: Talk about sex with your spouse. The Bible encourages it.

People who like an explanation, read on:

Dear Mr. or Mrs. _____,

Please talk about sex with your spouse. It is not taboo. It is not a difficult conversation. It is not awkward after the first discussion. Talk about sex and get on the same page. If you’re in this for a lifetime, you want to get this sex thing worked out early, so it gets better and better with time, not worse and worse. So, ask your spouse: How often do you want sex? What times or scenarios are ideal? Do you like certain positions better? Do you like sex to be quick or drawn-out? Do you like a warm-up? What brings you the greatest pleasure? What do you like to do afterward?

All these questions are a sampling of what you can ask. And remember, have the conversation at regular intervals. It doesn’t have to be daily or weekly or even monthly; just keep the lines of communication open. Just like everything else in life, your sex life will have seasons—especially during the child-bearing years.

Last, but not least, I want you to know why I (and Rick) encourage this. We advise you do this because of something Paul said in a letter to the church in Corinth. In that letter, Paul said, “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does,” which makes feminists today cringe. But he continues on and says, “Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does,” which makes the male supremacists cringe. Way back then, all the way through today, this teaching has caused some waves. It causes waves because it destroys your autonomy. You become submissive to your spouse and your spouse becomes submissive to you. But trust me, when you do it well, you’ll feel the magic, both sexually and spiritually.

With all sincerity,
omer

PS: You can find the referenced sermon at http://www.imagodeicommunity.com/sunday/sermon-archive/ .

Love. Sex. God. Pt2

**You can find the referenced sermon at http://www.imagodeicommunity.com/sunday/sermon-archive/ .**

In this second sermon, Rick explores the economy of sex.

The basic argument is that the price of sex is lower than it’s ever been before. I know, it’s odd for a pastor to talk about sex in economic terms, but you have to understand where he goes with it.

First, we must realize a few simple premises. Generally speaking:

  1. Men want sex more than women do.
  2. Women talk about sex more than men do.
  3. Sex starts when the woman says it does.
  4. The price of sex is negotiable.

Second, I must clarify that when Rick (or I) mention the price of sex, we’re talking about what is given in exchange for the act. For example, the highest price a woman can set for sex is a marriage relationship. A lifelong, covenant marriage, not a shotgun wedding with a quick annulment. That lifelong marriage covenant is the highest price. A lower price would be “we must be living together.” Even lower, “we must be ‘officially’ dating.” Lower still, “He has to impress me.”

Ladies, men will do most anything to try to impress you. They will buy your meals, give you flowers, ask you questions, and pretend to listen. And if that’s all it takes, men will pretend and schmooze and act as romantic as you want. But in that situation, the man isn’t in it to make you feel loved. He’s in it to satisfy his own desires.

Set the price of sex high. God did.

Along with that, it should be mentioned that God set the price so high because He knows how much the physical act of sex is tied with your emotions, your mental stability, and your soul. He made you a fully integrated being. So to try to please God with everything you have, except your sexual life, is an exercise in futility. You simply can’t do it. Why?

Because there’s a disconnect in your soul. Your body is doing one thing and every other part of you is doing another. Remember, we are 100% spiritual, 100% sexual. Offering ourselves to God means offering our whole self, sex life and all.