Taking Hills From Different Angles

Differences and differences. Recently a friend of mine decided to move out of his established circle of professional influence and into another. As I sat down with him and we debriefed it he said something interesting and I want to summarize our discussion.

Basically, we have two choices in whatever we do:

To affect change where we are.
We become a part of the system we are in, emerge ourselves, and bring about the change we want through slow, meticulous process. This train of thought and action has the strength of safety, of shepherding, and of gentleness. Those who choose this path are the unsung heroes who preserve unity and affect slow, safe change. It is not good nor bad, it is simply a track that some choose to follow.

To move outside the system to affect change.
Author Clive Cussler tells in his autobiography about how he became an author of pure adventure/action novels: he wanted to do it and no one else was doing it. Herein lies the more dangerous path. This is the path that leads only to the “penthouse or the outhouse”- these people will either see wild success (my friend Micah Kephart) or crash and burn like a dying star (thereby becoming cautionary tales like Mickey Rourke).

Now, summarized we see the choices before us. Both will bring change, one fast yet unsure, one slow and steady but (to some degree) certain.

This is not an attempt to paint heroes and cowards but rather to encourage the reader to consider both their current position and desired path. The church and world desperately need both types of people, desperately needs them to partner and appreciate each other. The processors must see the prophets and iconoclasts as necessary to push and pull organizations faster than they are comfortable with because all organizations trend towards bureaucracy…. And the movers and shakers must- at times- move a little slower than they would like in order to get the processors to come with them so that they are (as John Maxwell once said) “leading and not taking a walk”.

Life in Oz

In the 1800's the Methodist church took a stand against tobacco but the FDA had nothing to do with it. They took the stand because it was in protest to the use of African-American slave labor that collected the leaf. This is akin to followers of Christ who today buy TOMS shoes or do not buy products from China.

Many of the "legalistic" rules of yesteryear have interesting and wonderful roots. The problem with answers to solutions is that they become answers for so long no one bothers to ask the question anymore. So while it may behoove us to abstain from tobacco still it is now a question of health- not of not supporting slave labor.

I bring all of that to say that living in the midst of theses answers-to-yesteryear-questions can be a good thing (e.g. not smoking at one point protested slavery and now allows you to be healthier) but can also fool us into thinking that this is an axiomatic response or lifestyle thereby causing close-mindedness, tunnel vision, or- as I have recently dubbed it- living in Oz.

Life in Oz looks a lot of ways but as followers of the Rabbi it can be particularly lethal since we are called to tell an intrinsically broken world it is broken but that there is a Hope.

Now, you may be asking: do I live in Oz? Here is a quick (and somewhat tongue-in-cheek quiz), just answer "true" or "false" to the following:

1. Most people really want or need a list of rules and regulations to live by. T F
2. Most people (by and large) obey the rules they are given. T F
3. I cannot tell you the reasons behind my own life code beyond "it's what so-and-so said". T F
4. The Gaither family is some contemporary music. T F
5. The litmus test for being a follower of Christ is becoming a better person. T F

If most of your answers are "T" you may be living in Oz. It's not for sure but you show symptoms lacking cultural awareness or being in touch with reality. Please note that I am not showing a distinction between between "secular" and "Christian" realities. For too long we have expected major cultural differences between these two worlds and that is not realistic nor biblical.

The church is made up of the same people the world is- the only difference is that we are admitting we are dead in on our own. We draw distinctions in action when the distinction should be in our authenticity level. Confession should be a way of life for us. Love should be our language for everyone.

Robert Capon puts it this way:
"Congruence with grace- and please note what a contradiction in terms that is: congruence with the ultimate incongruity- becomes the condition sine qua non of its bestowal. And so our [resident moralistic] theologian comes to his inevitable emendation of Romans 5:8: 'But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,... [begin addition] on the condition that after a reasonable length of time we would be the kind of people no one would ever have had to die for in the first place. Otherwise, the whole deal is off.'

'The gentleman (the resident moralist) in your head, you see, is a menace."


Recently I have noted (in my ongoing observations of faith communities) this strong, pulsing, insatiable desire among certain types of followers of Jesus (and even from many who are far from God) for something that is REAL. That these people, in the midst of facebooks, Twitter, texting, sexting, celebrity gossip rags, casual sex relationships, pornography, and other endless caterers to self want- no- they NEED real. They cannot stand or choke down for one more minute a glossy, nicely painted exterior, that has no depth, and at the end of the day is just a "bot" anyway. They want to KNOW their group, their family, their ohana.

And this is the thirst the church was founded on, that we are called to this highly offensive grace that forgives anyone who would believe... even if they never become a better citizen or church member (much to many-a-preacher's frustration).

Let me know what you think of Oz. The on-line tour looks nice.

What Does Rethinking Religion Mean??

I used to say I didn't like religion. I think I said it because I thought it was trendy or cool or sounded like I was more aware than other people. Not really good reason. That was until I found out what religion is and means.

The word "religion" (from its original Latin roots) means to "reconnect with God". Of course by saying we are "reconnecting" we must have- at some point at least- been "disconnected". And that is a pretty accurate description about how I have felt about God... actually how a lot of people have felt about God over the years. Disconnected. Like no matter what they did they couldn't get back to a place they had never been but had always known as home- the embrace of a Father.

Christianity is the epitome of religion- of reconnecting with God. So the title of this site is quite apropos: we are asking people- both those far and near to the Father- to rethinking how/why/if they are connecting the way they best can, should, or want to.

So come. Rethink the reconnection. It's waiting.

Treating Christianity Like an Alcoholic

"The story of the laborers in the vineyard, for example, is about the owner, not the laborers; the prodigal son is not about the prodigal but about the Father."
- Robert Capon, 'Between Noon and Three', pg. 71

It has occurred to me recently that if I never "improve" as a person it does not matter to God. Well, not in the sense of salvation at any rate. As a follower of the Rabbi I often mentally pit myself against Pharisees and legalists and give them good verbal thrashing whenever possible (on my blog and not in real life).

Truly though the Pharisees were not bad people- in fact they were very good people. They were not (for the most part) hypocritical, they tithed as they should, properly observed the Sabbath, and feared God. We know they did these things by the context of historical documents. Their entire religious system was based upon ones' abilities to do, say, and think the correct thing so they must have done a pretty good job to be at the top of the class.

As we read the Torah, Old Testament, and New Testament we can also infer that prostitutes, tax collectors, pimps, and drunks were not misunderstood, well-intentioned-with-poor-results, misguided souls but genuinely bad people.

However, herein lies the rub: sometimes it is only the people who have hit rock bottom who know they- at the end of the day- control very little. In short, they know humility. In a way that only experience can know something.

When Jesus tells a story of a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the temple and only the tax collector goes away justified before God, he is telling a story of humility and confession. Today it would be likened to the opening at an AA meeting; "Hello, my name is such-and-such and I am an alcoholic..." Not recovering, not healed, not gilding the lily but who you are at rock bottom.

God only works with rock-bottom cases. There is no place for pride or pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps because you aren't raising yourself from the dead now, are you?

Not long ago- and then I will rest- I heard a friend tell a joke: A pastor died and went to stand before the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said, "Okay, to get in you have to accumulate 100 points for everything you did in your life."

The pastor says, "Well, my wife and I supported a missionary family for 15 years."

"That's good," says St. Peter, "That'll be worth a point."

"You mean one point per year or one point all together?"

"Oh, just one point all together," replies St. Peter.

The pastor begins to get a bit nervous at this news and tries something else, "I worked in the church full-time for 25 years too." He waits.

St. Peter cocks and eyebrow and says, "Ooookkkkaaayyy.... I'll give you one point for that."

"Just ONE again??" The pastor asks, incredulously.

"Yes."

After another 3 hours of this the pastor only has 7.5 points and is really sweating. Just then, coincidentally, sees a member of his parish named Dave walking up. Dave had attended church about half the time because he ran a local grill and bar and had to open on many Sundays.

"Hey, Dave," the pastor mutters, depressed by the situation.

"Hey Pastor, hey St. Peter, how do I get in?" says Dave.

St. Peter hits a button and the gates roll back, and he says, "Just head on in."

In disbelief the pastor watches and asks, "How come he gets to go in? You didn't ask him about any points!"

"Oh, him?" St. Peter glances back, "He wasn't playing this game."

The hardest thing about Jesus is that he forgave us of all of our sins- past, present, and future- the moment we confessed. But daily, we have to "take up our cross and follow" and die to ourselves. Humble ourselves like a bunch of deadbeat, rock-bottom alcoholics and say, "Hello, my name is such-and-such and I am dead and my only life is living in resurrection of Jesus." We may not even get better (which rightly terrifies so many of us) and to demand it, to expect it, to place that as any type of salvation barometer is not the Gospel. That is why it is so wildly dangerous.

We cannot go back to our old bodies. Even if some actions appear the same it is our new selves- not the dead bodies we once lived in and for

Jesus Was a Terrible Moral Teacher

We have often wondered here about generic and pop culture Christianity and church... as anyone who has been within the church walls for any length of time does. You take the structure apart wondering at the validity, importance, features, and functions of each piece.

For the past several months I have held down a plethora of secular (non-religious jobs) and have been able to view both the church and Christianity as a whole from a a whole new lens. One argument/observation that has often been thrown out to me is that Christianity is a good moral system or that Christ was a good moral teacher. However, in a discussion last night with a friend the observation was made that Christianity is the worst of "moral" religion ever devised if that is true. It claims, nay, it EXPECTS people to be screwed up, unworthy, and furthermore incapable of ever being worthy of any type of eternal reward with a perfect God.

The only demand is that we are humble enough to admit we aren't perfect, never will be, and need our tab paid. Terrible moral system. The New Testament writer, Paul, even writes that "... all things are permitted but not everything is beneficial...". This is a far cry from what the Pharisees at the time, current Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism claims.

If we claim we (in and of ourselves) are sinless we then deny the work of the Jesus on the cross. This explains so much of why people find Jesus offensive, He claims that He alone can save us from ourselves and that we have to simply have faith in Him.

Get Over It

Grace comes at the highest of prices: you dying to the pride of being you.

"Go and sin boldly." -Martin Luther (to a legalistic friend)

Some Christians Don't Like Grace

My wife and I have been having a series of conversations revolving around grace. What does it mean? What does it look like? I have dear friends who have been raised in Christian traditions where they do not dance, smoke, drink, or even watch television and- on the other end of the spectrum- friends who claim Jesus wholeheartedly but love movies, smoke Marlboro's, drink beer, and have rough language. For the sake of space we will call the first group "legalists" and the second "liberals" (since both terms hold positive and negative connotations).

Legalists will claim that the liberals look no different than the "world" (i.e. those who are far from God); conversely, liberals will claim that legalists live neither either the grace of god, the love of people, or relevance to the world. Both make good points.

Of course, this is without muddying the water in regard to if someone is in spiritual leadership- should the expectations on them be different?

And all of this is, obviously, the dangerous and offensive idea/debate behind grace. In the book of Mark, chapter 12, verses 28-34 we see Jesus emphasize that the the greatest two commandments are that we should love our God wildly, passionately, and with abandon... and other people as we love ourselves. He says the entire law can be summed up in those two rules. Incredible. The Pharisees expanded God's Law from the Big Ten to the petty 700-ish. Jesus moves the opposite direction.

Martin Luther once stated that when grace is truly found two things run wild: virtue and vice. That is because grace is dangerous because of how much freedom it holds. You can literally do anything and God will still love you. If that scares us it is because it should.

The crux of the matter is how we are showing love not how we are exercising freedom. If we are following the Rabbi will we give up certain freedoms to better show love? Or will we embrace certain freedoms in order to better show love? Say no to one of those and we should ask if we are still following the only two rules given to us by the Rabbi.

I pray you now go in grace, in total freedom and love.

Pain then, if 1 could have faith in something greater than himself, might b a path to experiencing a meaning beyond the false gratification of personal comfort.

Hope You Are Nearing Bottom

My friend Kenny says that my heart for those who are far from God is sometimes a lot bigger than my heart for those who claim to know him... hence my complete and utter disdain for almost all things Thomas Kincaid, Focus on the Family, or the 700 Club. I've gotten better over the past years but I came to understand my almost subconscious draw towards these people: those who are nearer to bottom tend to be more honest about their mistakes and need for grace. Don't believe me? Check out AA... or any support group for those who have royally screwed up.

I'm not saying the church doesn't have these people but rather that those who acted like they had their stuff together seemed to speak louder and more often.

The thing I am saying is I have come to realize how many horrible things people walk around with daily, trying to cover it up in normal and abnormal behavior. Teenagers tend to be the most obvious, covering their awkwardness, small bellies, insecurities, etc. in outrageous clothing, body piercings, and off-the-beaten-path music.

It seems like so many in my life are hurting, lost, and near bottom. I guess the thing I have noticed is the truth in the words that Jesus spoke, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." ... because they are near bottom, have no more reason to put up a brave front, and therefore are more likely to depend on my [His] grace.

Let me just say that if you have a funky streak you should check out my friend Heath McNease. He lays down some incredible lyrics & beats.

Does anyone not wanting to start converstaions because you will have to end them? Not because of fear but because of the emotional energy required. Anyone?

Scared of Your Own Story

One of the best books I ever read was, "Boys Life"... except for one chapter. This one chapter has the main character growing imaginary wings and soaring over his town. In no way did it fit with the rest of the book, add to character development, or give the reader any personal insight. We will come back to that.

Life is about story: you are either part of one or merely an observer of others' stories. The realization of this reality seems be as inescapable as death- some see it very early whereas others waste their lives pages on pursuing filler chapters. I was reading after a friend of mine recently who- in an attempt to impress a girl- signed on to hike the Machu Picchu trail. He realized, somewhere in the midst of the pain of the hike (because it is one of the most difficult hikes you can do) that pain is what builds story.

No one watches movies about perfect lives. There might be a perfect ending but that's it. No one would watch a movie about girl who had millions of dollars, a fully functional family, went to church, was attending the finest schools, gave away thousands of dollars, had the truest of friends, and finally married the boy next door whose life was equally perfect. You know why of course. Those people don't exist. Life is painful but the joy of completing the journey or sections of it make the story worth reading.

If life is too comfortable it eventually feels meaningless, boring.

So the question becomes: will your story be intentional or unintentional? Will you live significantly in pain and relationship or hide in front of the TV, in a career you don't care about, always afraid of failing?

Back to that book with the meaningless chapter... I found out later the reason that chapter was even in the book was because the publisher at the time thought the book was too short and asked him to write another chapter. It struck me that many of us have chapters like that: we did something even though it didn't fit in our story or with our purpose because we felt like we should.

Let us never live chapters without meaning or be afraid of living stories for fear of pain. Without pain, there is no joy, without dark, no sunrise.

Taking the Knife Out of Your Back

One summer when I was in high school, my family and I were on vacation and decided to visit a church in the town where we were staying. At the end of the service, the pastor asked if anybody wanted to become a Christian. He said that people could repeat a prayer after him and become Christian. he said that people could repeat a prayer after him and become a Christian, right there at that moment in their seats. he said that if people repeated this prayer after him, they could be sure that when they died they would go to heaven and not hell. He then asked everybody to bow their heads and close their eyes, and he said the prayer, leaving space after each sentence for those who wanted to repeat the prayer after him. When he finished, he told everybody to keep their eyes closed and heads bowed. He then asked for the people who had prayed the prayer to raise their hands wherever they were seated. This way he would know who they were so he could pray for them. He said that nobody but him would be looking.

The pastor then said, "I see that hand over there. Thank you. I see that hand in the back. I see some young women in the front..." and he proceeded to acknowledge the hands that were going up all around the room.

During this entire time I had kept my eyes open and was watching the whole thing.

I didn't see any hands go up.

Several years ago my dad reminded me of that day. He told me he had his eyes open the whole time as well- only he was not watching for hands. He was watching me. He said that when he realized what was going on and that I was observing it all, he had this sick feeling that I would walk away from God and the church and faith forever. he said he kept thinking, "I've lost Rob, I've lost Rob..."

I am like you, I have seen plenty done in teh name of God that I'm sure God doesn't want anything to do with. I have lots of reasons for bailing on the whole thing.

I am also like you because I have a choice. To become bitter, cynical, jaded, and hard. Anybody can do that. A lot have.

Hatred is a powerful, unifying force. And there is a lot to be repulsed by.

Or, like you, I can choose to reclaim my innocence.

-Velvet Elvis p. 176-177

My wife is a wise woman. Years ago a pastor burned me badly- worse than this story- and I have carried an unhealed wound for years and, frankly, I had every right to do so. But it was not doing anyone, least of all myself, any good. Anyway, Sarah kindly pointed out that if I just let it go then it would stop owning me, frustrating me, and tainting me.

We probably won't have the wrong righted, nor watch the person get their dues, but it isn't about what God will do to them but what God will do in us if we let go.

I don't know much but this story just hit me really hard. I hope it brings some others' hope if they read it. It won't make things okay but at least you might know you aren't alone and there is another way.

Walking the Same Road as You

It's been a rough few months but I found hope in this quote by Rob Bell.

"It was in that abyss that I broke and got help... because it's only when you hit bottom and are desperate enough that things start to get better. This breakdown, of course, left me with all sorts of difficult decisions to make... and a new journey began, one that has been very, very painful.'

'... and very, very freeing.'

'It was during this period I learned I had a soul."

-Velvet Elvis, p. 105

You and I are walking roads paved by our own decisions and therefore, have no one to blame for anything. I happen to be in a hard time right now as I am 27 years old and trying to figure out what to do with my life. But you know what- I wouldn't trade my journey for a jump to the destination for anything.

The late and great Kurt Cobain, over-quoted as he is, said, "The sun is gone, but I have a light."

Evangelism is Too Expensive (Both Socially and Monetarily)

"... the mutation of solid church into heritage, refuge, and nostalgic communities has seriously decreased its ability to engage in genuine mission in 'liquid church'[the ability to contextualize Jesus by being culturally specific and relevant]." -Bauman

Recently, I was engaged in dialogue with a church that was moving forward in an exciting new chapter of their church life by starting a 2nd venue- with plans for more. They had done all the proper prep work: consulting with venue veterans, they had no debt (not even a mortgage), had savings, had read books, talked with local leaders, and began recruiting for staff needs... only to claim that they didn't feel, "God allowing them to (plant other churches) at this time", when it came time to pull the trigger with money.

How, when, and where is God against His message being carried out in new ways to new areas? Now hear me, I have, for years and on record, stated that I want NOTHING to do with church planting other than praying and providing funds... which sounds like a lady I heard proudly proclaim that she would pay for people to do missions work "for her" because she knew she was too much of a prima donna. We both sound stupid.

... or a denominational leader who claimed (off the record, of course) that this "church planting thing is only a fad".

The early church in Jerusalem was so isolated, so self-centered, that many scholars argue that God used persecution to cause a viral explosion of churches throughout the entire region. And, if we are to call ourselves "Christians"- a moniker that to proclaim 1800 years ago would have gotten you swift death- then we better start carrying that torch.

That means we stop proclaiming the need for community and engage in real and deep friendships that are awkward because we call each other out and are there for the their (and our own) tough times.

That means we stop talking about planting a church and gather our little group of 5-15 at a house/coffee shop/bar/park and talk about things of significance.

That means we stop living in debt so we can help those who are less fortunate.

That means we refuse to take Jesus lightly and actually read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and get to know this guy we are, allegedly, following.

But lets get back to churches before I go. If your church isn't really reaching out to its surrounding community, planting venues, living with each other, and planting new churches... what IS it doing?

Leonard Sweet said it this way, "The toast at the Jesus table is not 'Here's to us! [those already present]', but, 'Here's to those who aren't here,'."

It is our commission to go and find them, lovingly take them by the arm, by their hurt, and show them our Father. There is nothing else.

But maybe God is telling other people/churches that evangelism is just too darn expensive...

My Title

I am not a minute details person. It's not that I am unable to plan them out but rather that it is not the thing my head naturally trends to.

The reason I bring this up is because it is the reason I named this blog what I did and, amazingly, the thing that has rocked my world time and again. Life's all consuming question- as C.S. Lewis once wrote- is: what are you going to do with Christ? Oh, I know that His "followers" are legion but it seems that many are like football (or futbol) fans who proudly wear a team jersey and avidly follow the games and stats but at the end of the day have never been a part of that team or really even played that sport.

So many claim the title Christian but this is the time of year when you should ask yourself what that really means to you. If it means you go to a gathering once a week for one hour, throw the occasional $20 in the offering plate, and your kids are in the pageant then it may be time to re-asses the situation.

A friend of mine was talking with me last night and told me that his church canceled their Christmas Eve service. Before you get upset you should know that his church puts on a MASSIVE outreach to the community that, literally, draws tens of thousands but takes months of planning and runs over the course of weeks. I think they did their Christmas due.

However, on the heels of the news, several vitriolic emails found their way to my friend and his boss. Kindly, they responded to several of the authors (who signed only first names) and told them that their families would be spending Christmas Eve helping out a needy family. One man wrote back that, "that's the STUPIDEST idea I have ever heard."

Let's be fair, this guy had his church's Christmas Eve service canceled and the needy family was only concerned with eating and buying their kids presents. Obviously, the church is wrong (sarcasm heavily invoked).

But this story is only a microcosm of many's "Christian" life. We spend the whole year gossiping, over-eating, getting drunk, sleeping around, looking at pornography, and the only time we invoke the name of Jesus is to express our emotion as the guy in front of us just cut us off. We don't bother to visit those in prison, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, or love the unlovable- it would "cancel our Christmas Eve service"- and move us from complacent-jersey-wearing-bench-sitting to the grit, grim, and reality of the game.

Follow Jesus or don't follow Jesus. That is the Crux of the Matter.

The Perfect Job

I was turned down for a job. Don't get to upset on my behalf though because I applied as a joke.

The job was a the role of senior pastor in California at a church of 5,000. They were very polite and set me a nice letter with very professional letterhead saying that, darn it, they did not think I would be the appropriate fit for that role.

But it made me think back to a conversation I had with a friend of mine shortly after he graduated from his graduate work. He was searching for a church and discarding one position after another, citing- from time to time- some pretty trivial concerns. Finally, I piped up and told him to just take the job he felt was MOST right and quit whining.

This is applicable to any job but ministers may be the most guilty of it as they search for jobs and churches. We get ideas in our heads of how the church should be, how the people would be, the staff we would have, and the salaries we should make and then cannot understand either why those churches do not want to hire us or why we cannot find those churches.

What I shared with my friend on that day was that you are not ready for your ideal jobs when you are looking for it like that. This isn't to enter into some Eastern style thought of, "When you no longer seek you will find,"- at least intentionally- but to some degree it is true.

Early on in your career you are not ready for it. You cannot deal with the demands, the expectations, the patience, the staff issues, or even the money. You do not have the experience. You can be educated at all the right schools, have done all the right internships, and even have great connections but in the end that simply is not the issue. Oh, sure, there are rare exceptions.

In fact, you probably wouldn't even be able to choose your "perfect" job if every job in your field was open to you. You wouldn't know yourself well enough because- again- you don't have the experience.

For instance, early on in my career, I thought I wanted a Ph.D. in Theology so I could nitpick my denomination for various things. Looking back I must have been insane. What would possess me to think that 7 years of staring at books, attending classes, and then delving into the finer points of TULIP and Armenian thinking would really leave me feeling fulfilled?

I do not know where I am going next. Yet. I have some leads and (at least) one REALLY exciting possibility.

Maybe there is no perfect job though, maybe that is a fool's errand, maybe we need to stop looking and just enjoy where we are at and let God's will find us. It seems like the less I try and force God the more He does.

Twitter Redo

So I found I could make some setting adjustments in Twitter that were not available originally. So... if you like this blog you can now follow more frequent updates by subscribing to my Twitter account "DevinMRose". Thanks.

Running Down the Wrong Road to the Right Destination

Perspective counts for almost everything in life. Where you stand in proximity to a mountain makes it beautiful scenery or a terrifying climb.

During my countless exit interviews from the USMC OCS they plopped me in front of a colonel, a sergeant major, and numerous captains- all gathered in one room and then demanded to know if I was leaving simply because I was "homesick" or was there another reason. I told them I was leaving because of what I learned at OCS. The colonel said that no one had stated that reason before so he was intrigued.

I explained that early on in the cycle a first sergeant who resembled a hybrid of miniature bear and the hulk gave us a talk on finishing the things that we have started, not growing weary when others do wrong but to continue on- even in the face of failure. It occurred to me then that I had gotten out of the church for all the wrong reasons. I had left for lazy people who would not share their faith or live in true community, I had left for pious gossips, I had left for denominational bureaucracy... but I had never lost faith in the mission- I had only lost site of the important in the face of the immediate.

That is pretty easy to do for any of us I think. I just re-watched the movie "Orange County" (I know, its deep here folks) and really found myself identifying with the character of Collin Hanks who is trying to run away to college to fulfill his dream only to discover he is chasing it the wrong way.

Sometimes by chasing the wrong thing we end up discovering the right one... but I wouldn't recommend relying on that method.