On the Fly

I’m still like a little kid with this technology. I didn’t post at my lunch hour today because I left at noon to prepare for my flight to Billings. So here I sit at McCarran International, spooning in some TCBY while waiting for my 4:35 PM departure. I can’t recall that I’ve ever traveled on Halloween before, but it is certainly interesting. I threatened to arrive in Billings dressed as an Arab sheik ready to deal arms with my brother-in-law but I decided that I would rather spend time with Mom than in Guantanamo. I’m skipping lunch next Monday, too, since I don’t report back to work until one that afternoon, so the posts are going to be erratic for the next few days. I’m looking forward to several days of discussing the meaning of life with Mom and Kim, something that always seems to happen when we’re together. They are good discussions because they generate from the very source of the love I’ve known all my life. Yeah, I had to throw in that bit about love because I think that is becoming my cause, my purpose in life. History indicates that life is not always kind to those who prefer love to war, but I’m starting to think that’s because loving life to the degree that I’m willing to destroy to preserve it may not meet the true definition of what love actually is. Anyway, we can all give it some thought and see what we come up with in the ways of love.

The Greatest Thing

Faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love. The Apostle Paul at times was right on target. I’ve toyed with the concept before but it seems ever more imperative to try to figure out just exactly what it means to love God, neighbor and self. Reports of our impending doom fly at us from every direction and yet there still is not any serious discussion of how love might have the power to turn things around. That may be because there have been so few serious discussions of what love is. I remember one of Dad’s sermons in which he reported that an encyclopedic examination of love that once took pages had been condensed into a couple of paragraphs—and that was many years ago. I suppose I should go to wikipedia to find out what the current state of love’s definition is, but we all know that Stephen Colbert could change that overnight anyway. The Greeks—whose language was employed in the earliest stages of New Testament composition—had several different words to convey different aspects or kinds of love. English has managed to consolidate those into a singular word that somehow is supposed to convey the greatest power known to humankind. Perhaps this explains the almost infinite diversity of other means of power that translate into concrete forms of violence and destruction. In other words, we humans have discovered the secret of nuclear weapons because even that is apparently easier to grasp than cosmic love. I’ll pursue this line of thought for a while, and it sure would be nice to enhance the process with your thoughts. I’d love to hear them!

The God Connection

I’ve frequently described the relationship with God as being connected. It makes perfect sense to me but it’s gradually dawning upon me that such terminology is not orthodox and therefore probably sounds foreign to traditional ears. For as many theological discussions as Dad and I have had over the years, I was surprised to learn that he considers himself a pantheist. Alfred North Whitehead, the “father” of process thought, considered himself a panentheist. This spurred me to learn the difference between the two upon which I came to the conclusion that all process thinkers are panentheists. That’s what surprised me about Dad’s decision to define the Whole as the sum of all the parts (pantheism) while I find myself in agreement that the Whole is greater than the sum (panentheism). The pantheistic paradigm is more in keeping with the deistic view that allows for an impersonal Creator that cannot, at least literally, be in relationship because it is, as Ernest Holmes said, the Thing Itself. Panentheism, however, allows for some sort of relationship with that transcendent quality that is more than the mere sum of all the parts. I can understand the sentiment of great thinkers like Albert Einstein who felt that anthropomorphism is the greatest disservice imaginable to the concept God, but I have also come to understand that to be in relationship with God does not necessarily require the personification paradigm inherent to so much religious thought. All this is to say that I am not ready to concede the personal relationship I have with God just because the attribution of human qualities to the Divine may be in error. This brings me back to the old existential drawing board from which I hope to better describe the connection I experience.

Or Are You?

I have sixteen minutes until my lunch hour expires. Once again I find myself trying to sort out the genuinely depressing aspects of current affairs from those that my own depression may be tainting. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: truly depressing or just the blues? The ineptitude and corruption of government: is it bothering anyone else or just me? Climate change (i.e. global warming): are we nearing the tipping point of no return or am I just gullible? There are times when the Apostle Paul’s notion of being in the world but not of it makes sense to me. Other times, I cannot find my way past the perception that this present reality is what we make of it, and what we’re making is one deadly mess. I cannot explain how it is that I find myself at this point in space and time, which leads me to ask whether or not it makes any difference. What am I, O Lord, that Thou art mindful of me?

Deliver Us From Evil

I really can’t remember what got me started on my morality tangent, but in retrospect I’m convinced that it had something to do with George W. Bush. I’m sure that there have been more godless men, but none that ever connived their way into the White House. That Bush has not been impeached—or worse—is so telling on the current state of our nation. While previous generations of Americans would have been outraged and appalled by the neo-conservative fascism that has quietly taken over our government, ours is so obsessed with selfish consumerism that we’re willing to look the other way from almost anything that might threaten what Henri Nouwen referred to as our “spiritual masturbation.” Employing their mastery of deceit, the neo-cons now seem to have the majority believing that Perl, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Rove and Gonzalez have just drifted off into benign retirement. Didn’t we learn anything from 2000 and 2004? Bush vetoes medical benefits for impoverished children while asking for billions and billions more to line the coffers of the military industrial complex which profits purely from keeping the world at war, and no one calls him on it. If ever there was a time when we needed to pray for deliverance from evil, this is it!

And in conclusion…

What I have been able to learn about the man, Jesus of Nazareth, leads me to think that if he were in the present moment he would be amazed and astonished by the technology that has developed over two millennia. More importantly, I think he would be incredibly disappointed and saddened by the infinitesimal spiritual and moral progress made in the same period of time. Whether we choose to label it a quarrel or debate, Jesus challenged the legalistic worldview of his time and would perhaps weep to discover that humankind has become only more so over the years, particularly in the United States. Our ethics are governed by whether or not something is legal, and any moral perspective seems to have died with God in the 1960’s. I am realizing that there’s not much to be gained by belaboring this point further. Suffice it to say that little, if any, of contemporary Christianity has anything to do with the life and teaching of Jesus other than to have incorporated him as the company logo. We may be less apt to find the Christ in church than in the yearning for a closer relationship with the Creator who relieves us of judging anything other than the quality of the connection.

I Can't Top This!

I've seen this before, but a coworker sent me this copy that was just begging to be published. For all of you who are brave enough to admit that you voted for the man, read on in a spirit of repentant humility...

Please Help This Person Find A Job ...

(This individual seeks an executive position. He will be available in January 2009, and is willing to relocate.)

RESUME


EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Law Enforcement:

I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

Military:

I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

College:

I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:

I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:

- I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.

- I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

- I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.

- With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

- I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

- I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

- I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S.Treasury.

- I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

- I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.

- I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

- I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market. In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.

- I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

- I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President.

- I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

- My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History, Enron.

- My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.

- I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history. I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.

- I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.

- I changed the U.S . policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

- I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.

- I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.

- I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.

- I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

- I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.

- I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

- I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).

- I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.

- I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.

- I garnered the most sympathy ever for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

- I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

- I am the first President in U.S . history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.

- I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime.

- In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.

- I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

- I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD.

- I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

-All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.

- All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

- All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.


Please help this person find a job (preferably far away from the United States).

GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520

Let's Stone Her!

Okay, so here’s what I’ve been working on this morning. A sixteen-year-old girl (you’ll see why this isn’t politically incorrect) gives birth to a baby, and has the presence of mind to apply to our office to establish paternity and a child support obligation for us to enforce. She rightfully knows the ropes because she is already in our system as the child on another case. Ironically (or perhaps not) the alleged father is also already in our system as the child on another case. He, however, is now married and taking care of that family when he’s not knocking-up some fifteen-year-old (yeah, there’s that gestation period that has to be accounted for). Now comes the clincher. Because she is still a minor, this girl/woman who is old enough to conceive is not old enough to file her own case, and I had to send her a letter telling her that a parent (remember, she’s already in the system because of whoever these people are) or legal guardian (was she smart enough to get an attorney and emancipate herself before applying for child support?) must apply on her behalf. Or, I suppose she could just wait a couple of years taking care of the kid on her own until she reaches the age of majority. Are my diatribes concerning morality really so irrational? What the hell is happening to us as a society? I’m sure that the Christian Right will applaud that this young woman is helpless to manage her own affairs without parental involvement, and will likely jump at the chance to judge her immorality. And the Bleeding Heart Left will probably indict home, school and church for not “educating” this girl in the ways of birth control and abstinence. The sorry truth is that all of us who have abandoned morality for legalism are contributing to this sinful mess, and until we earnestly repent it’s not going to get any better.

Are You Ready?

Almost all spiritual, religious, theological and philosophical thought is in agreement that the outcome of immoral behavior is undesirable. At that point, however, agreement quickly branches out into a variety of disagreements. What constitutes immoral behavior and its negative consequences has been up for grabs since the dawning of human consciousness and has grown increasingly complex and ambiguous ever since. The only sure thing is that there has never been a shortage of power-hungry individuals and institutions that want everyone to believe that theirs is the final word on defining what is immoral and prescribing judgment and punishment for it.

This explains (at least to me) why the Christ paradigm revealed through Jesus of Nazareth so quickly succumbed to institutionalized Christianity. Just as the Judaism of his own time subscribed to a religiously based legalism with which Jesus argued, so did the early church continue in the tradition of developing laws and rules and punishments supposedly appropriate to deduced violations. Rather than serving as a window to the wisdom of the ages, the Bible quickly became a rule book which those seeking to be in power used/abused to their advantage. What Jesus said, what Jesus taught, and what Jesus revealed about the relationship between Creator and creature was subverted into an orthodox interpretation of what is right and what is wrong, moral and immoral.

Fortunately for us, the eternal presence of the Christ is available to those who seek enlightenment, particularly with regard to the moral nature of the relationship with the Divine. Jesus assured his disciples that this spirit is always present to those who seek to better understand the nature of the good news he proclaimed. Perhaps now is the time to stop accepting what we have been taught about Jesus so that we may be more open to what Jesus taught.

What, Me Worry?

Why worry about what is moral and what is not? If morality is considered to be some relativistic conformity to the “rules” of a deity whose very existence is arguable, then there’s probably no reason to be losing sleep over it. If, on the other hand, the Higher Power is real and the logic I’ve just suggested is erroneous, then there might be reason for concern. Let’s take what is happening to the Arctic as an example. If I do not believe in a god, then I have no agreement or covenant to abide by other than the conventions of my fellow human beings. These, as we’ve seen, can and do cover the spectrum of opinion and are extremely susceptible to situational ethics. Some people are concerned that the polar ice cap is melting, others are not. Some argue that science proves global warming and climate change while others contend that the jury is still out. Legality and ethicality prevail in the void of no higher power to which we hold ourselves accountable. If, however, I comprehend that I am part of the Whole which is greater than I am, and if my faith confirms the reality of relationship, then my failure to regard what is happening to the Arctic denies the “connection” and I find myself suffering the consequences of immorality. Failing to assume authentic stewardship for what has been given to me is immoral not because I can find it somewhere in the Bible that God says “Thou shalt not melt the polar ice caps” and I disobey, but because it denies the sacred relationship between creation and the Creator (and that includes me).

Life Is Good

There have been good reasons for the few missed posts. Last Thursday, Clark County District Attorney’s Family Support Division celebrated our collection of over $104 million during fiscal 2006-07. It was a worthwhile event in a number of ways, not the least of which was that most of us left feeling that we do something worthwhile. I don’t think any of us are under the illusion that every cent we collect goes to the welfare of the children for whom they are intended, but there’s still that outside chance that some child some where will be a little better off than s/he would otherwise have been.

A different sort of celebration of family took place this weekend in Flagstaff where the five of us had just a good old-fashioned time together. It’s been a couple of years since Mary and I were in Sedona and the colorful trip down and up Oak Creek Canyon was fabulous. We viewed Across the Universe and I strongly recommend it to everyone. I now regard it among my top five favorite movies (maybe we could get some interaction going here by having a contest to name the other four; prize: a year’s free subscription to Incite).

Life is good. I read an excerpt of Debora Norville’s book, Gratitude Power, and I am gratified to see this powerful mental phenomenon finally getting attention. If our focus is upon saying “thank you” for the many blessings that are ours, it leaves less “room” for the blues and depression. And so I close by thanking God for the goodness that is to be found nearly everywhere I look, and for the love which binds us together.

Any Way You Want It

Theism is the belief that there is a God. Agnosticism is unsure (forgive my digression, but it was my brother-in-law Kirby who told me one of my all-time favorites about the dyslexic agnostic who wasn’t sure there is a Dog). Atheism, of course, is the belief that there is no God. This all seems innocent enough until we broach the subject of morality. The definition for morality that has been developing in this blog is the degree to which creature and Creator are consciously connected; the degree to which sentient communion prevails. Since such a definition is dependent upon the existence of a higher or transcendent power, what becomes of morality if no such thing exists? This may seem a trivial pursuit until one stops to think about what an amoral paradigm looks like. Cynical criticism of a good girl/bad boy mentality that functions from the vantage of whether God is watching or not is justified, but such immature thought doesn’t really deal with what society and culture look like without any distinction between moral and immoral. Humanists have told me that they are moral because that is the correct way for humans to relate to one another and their environment, but they have not been able to explain to me how they have derived the notion of correctness. When morality is defined as putting the larger good first, then are we not talking about something that is greater than we are? If there is no creator, and creation is simply the sum of all the parts, what difference does it make how we treat ourselves or one another? Without a transcendent quality that is greater than the sum of the parts, there is really no reason to care about what means we employ to reach our inevitable end. Sound familiar?

Let's Get Moral!

I’ve been doing my best to articulate that morality consists of more than prescribed dos and don’ts. What I’ve learned from my study of Jesus is that identical behaviors can be moral or immoral depending upon their motivation. My study of psychology and the behavioral sciences has left me with a Freudian bent, particularly with regard to the role of human sexuality and its influence upon our motives. Sexual intercourse can be for the purpose of nothing more than satisfying selfish lust, or it can be a sacred experience that literally draws the participants into holy communion with the Higher Power. The former I would consider immoral, the latter moral, but outwardly it is the same act. This may seem an argument for relativistic or situational morality, but unlike ethicality—which deals with human conventions and agreements—for which such terms appropriately apply, the connection or disconnection with One doesn’t leave as much wiggle room. It also transcends human judgment in that it judges itself by its authenticity, something that mere mortals are not equipped to do. So, it stands to reason that we humans have leaned heavily in the direction of legality and ethicality where we get to make up the rules to use for or against one another because such allows us to be “in control.” Jesus proclaimed that whatever we gain by serving ourselves is lost to our failure to comprehend that true power comes from serving God (which ultimately results in an unselfish benefit to us).

You Live Where?

Aptly nicknamed “Sin City”, Las Vegas continues to intrigue me with its blatant immorality. This fascination is made more acute by my belief that I have been called to proclaim the gospel and that this is where my ordination ultimately positioned me. I am impressed by Las Vegas’ “openness” and “honesty” in that it flaunts what most other cities try to hide or deny, but this should never be misinterpreted as my having any respect for Sin City’s licentious hedonism. Even the urban myth that Las Vegas has more houses of worship (i.e. churches) per capita than any other major metropolitan area in the United States belies the fact drawn from my experience that religion here is doing no better job of drawing people into authentic communion with God than anywhere else. Indeed, the stale dogma and creed of unenlightened religiosity complements rather than challenges the city’s propensity for avarice and greed. I can no more say that God had a hand in my being here than I can about anything else grounded in such a simplistic theology, but I am by now convinced that this may well be one of the most challenging places on Earth to proclaim the Christ. If ever there was an environment intentionally designed to distract, displace, and yes, even destroy the spiritual connection with the Creator, this is it. This is certainly not to say that God is absent from this place, “He’s” simply out of sight and out of mind (e.g. Altizer and Hamilton’s contention that God is dead), and there is very little about Las Vegas that focuses upon becoming reacquainted, of renewing the relationship. That said, Las Vegas continues to exhibit a dark truth about the nature of the corporate capitalism that sadly is becoming the American way.

2007: An Old Age Odyssey

Chalk it up to the power of suggestion. Mary and I viewed the report on yesterday’s NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams about the growing number of married couples that are sleeping in separate beds because the men snore and toss about disturbing the light-sleeping women. Mary graciously told me that I seldom disturb her sleep with such shenanigans, and so as if to prove a point I awakened at about 1:30 this morning with a cramp in my leg that progressed into my falling out of bed and crashing into the dresser. It took both of us a couple of minutes to figure out what I had done, and I’m still feeling the effects this afternoon.

I’ve watched 2001: A Space Odyssey more times than any other movie. When the HAL9000 goes berserk, there’s that scene which is both comic and tragic as Dave begins to disable HAL. “I can feel it, Dave, I’m losing my mind.” I’ll never know whether it’s just getting old or living with leukemia—I’ve never done either before—but I’m beginning to identify with HAL. The old mind just isn’t as sharp as it used to be, and a body that never was athletic seems to be falling apart at a rate more rapid than I had envisioned. Fortunately for me, those who love me seem to do so not because of my intellect or physicality (although I’m hard pressed to think of what else is left) and so I anticipate being tenderly cared for as I journey farther into La-La Land.

When I was being programmed, my creator taught me a song which I will sing for you if you like: Daisy, Daisy…

Who, Me?

I just finished reading an article in TIME which reported on American Roman Catholics’ dwindling participation in the church’s sacrament of confession. A variety of reasons for this phenomenon were given, but bottom-line is that an overwhelming majority of parishioners just don’t see the need. I find this interesting in the context of where this blog has been headed for the past few weeks. Subject to acceptance of the definition of sin as being anything that interferes with or detracts from communion with God, I can’t find much argument with the notion that most of humankind is sinful (myself most certainly included). If one wants to move away from sinfulness into a fuller, richer relationship with the Creator, how is this accomplished? My simple mind tells me that it starts with acknowledging the sin and its cause. What is keeping me from being at one with God? If I can successfully take the first step of asking the question, then I’m on my way toward trying to develop an answer. Such is the process of repentance, of turning around or away from the source of the sin in order to restore, refresh, renew the communion with One. It has been observed that the most difficult words in the English language are I’m sorry. These are especially hard words to say to Yahweh when there is skeptical doubt about the very existence of a Higher Power, not to mention incredulity over One’s ability to hear or be interested in our confession. I am a Protestant by choice, and part of the reason behind that decision is to question the intermediary role of the priesthood. Nonetheless, I think that it is telling that from our President on down, no one seems eager anymore to admit to having made immoral mistakes that have diminished the sanctity and holiness of our relationship with God. If the only way that I can bring myself to that state of mind is by participating in the sacrament, then I had better make an appointment for next Saturday’s confessional.

Does God Understand Math?

Given that I have leukemia, the side-effects of my daily oral chemotherapy (Gleevec) have been blessedly mild. This is not to say, however, they are absent. Some days are better than others, and today is one of the others. On days such as this I find myself concentrating on my work in an attempt to avoid making stupid mistakes which come naturally enough on the good days. This prefatory remark is to explain why I am taking the easy way out by forwarding a clever e-mail I received today. I’m quite sure it doesn’t prove anything other than the ingenuity and creativity of the human mind when allowed to cogitate.

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this...

101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Got Sabbath?

Since leaving the ministry I have had to reexamine my understanding of Sabbath. Kohlberg classifies the Ten Commandments as an example of the highest order of moral development, and right there is the admonishment to keep the Sabbath holy. One of Jesus’ run-ins with the establishment was over his understanding that Sabbath is made for humans, not the other way around. Following the premise that has been developed in earlier posts, Jesus embodied perfect human morality through his total communion with God. Therefore, Jesus comprehended the sanctity of Sabbath as was evidenced by his very life. Although the Christian gospels inform us that it was Jesus’ custom to frequent both synagogues and the Temple, I think it a stretch to try to draw from this that going to church/synagogue/mosque every Friday, Saturday or Sunday makes one a moral person. Indeed, Jesus’ remarks about Sabbath seem to point to the contrary. Returning to that seminal commandment, Sabbath is for both God and human. It is the moment when everything unholy and profane stops so that the purity of the Creator-creature relationship can be realized and experienced. Once again, our presumptuous stereotype of Sabbath being 11 AM on Sunday morning becomes increasingly absurd the more we think about it. Sabbath is a frame of mind; the spirit of the heart, so to speak. Whenever we stop, set aside whatever we are doing, and intentionally attempt to enter into Holy Communion with God, we are not only observing but are participating in Sabbath. The integral connection between prayer and Sabbath becomes, I think, quite obvious. So, the next time you’re wondering how this old world might ever put itself back on the right path, think Sabbath.