Sometimes building ivory towers
Sometimes knocking castles down
Sometimes building you a stairway --
Lock you underground
Its that old-time religion
Its the kingdom they would rule
Its the fool on television
Getting paid to play the fool
Big Money
-Rush
How do we define avarice, or the colloquial term, greed? What separates a healthy desire to improve ones lot in life and a mind bending, life distorting pursuit of wealth or possessions? Is it amounts or percentages? Portfolios and account balances? As is usually the case, the obvious answer is no, but what lies beyond the obvious?
The real cost of greed may well have nothing to do with money, power or wealth, but with loss; and not the loss experienced by the one consumed with greed. To some extent, its not even the loss experienced by those around someone consumed by greed. There is a huge collective loss
in the fulfillment of that greed.
We try to pass off sleight of hand to create a reality that is not ours to have. We charge, lease, finance, mortgage, gamble, pawn, and steal what we cannot rightly own. Upon these, our economy has been laid, slowly supplanting pride of ownership with pride of possession. Then when we can no longer make the payments, we consolidate, start all over again and another foundation stone of our economy is replaced with a playing card. This process is repeated nationwide until we are all living in a teetering house of cards, that inevitably must fall. But even so, the damage goes deeper.
Because we all seem to play make believe with reality, our judgement of value and values are clouded. When nearly anything can be within what appears to be our grasp, nothing means anything any more. While that sounds like simple wordplay at first glance, it is true. We simply objectify everyone and everything, tangible or not, and put it down on our mental balance sheets. We try to buy love with money (real or fake) or possessions which are not really ours in the first place, and thus the object of our desires is devalued.
When nothing we possess is owned, it has no value. Ask any teenager with their first car. "A car, bought and paid for, is polished. A car given is driven and wrecked." We sub-contract our lawn mowing, because we work too much to mow the yard, because the yard is so big, we don't have the time, because the mortgage is too large. It's not our yard anymore. If we don't care for it, its not ours.
All that show is for naught, because the yard in front of the house we don't own, is just like every other yard on the street, that is mowed by the same landscaper, because everyone is at work on Saturday evening.
And the children are home.
Alone, with a babysitter.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
#3 - money is only paper and ink
The Seven Deadly Sins
Sin #3
Greed
This is a hard topic for me.
I am a woman who desires simplicity bordering poverty but is blessed by a nation which thrives on capitalism - so, I will address both - briefly.
Rich Mullins will forever be my modern example of...so much. He was a seemingly wealthy man. He sold millions of albums - and had for a decade. Yet, he chose to live in humble settings accepting only the average income for an American. All of his other money was given to the poor and to the church. He chose what to do with his wealth.
give me neither poverty nor riches....
I do not believe however, that this makes him a better man or less of a man. It is simply something I aspire to.
Then there are men like Bill Gates or Donald Trump, and perhaps we see those names or see them on the television and we think "greed." If a man or woman is wealthy does that make them greedy? Or does it mean they are hard workers who have had great ideas and produced great incomes for themselves? Is a company that hires thousand of Americans a greedy company, or are they simply successful? Who is the greedy one: the million-dollar corporation, or the individual who wants to see them limit production out of "fairness to smaller business?" They are simply men and women who, like Rich, choose what to do with their own wealth.
I have witnessed far more greed in the undeserving. Those looters who yap about how the big business they work for is the great evil of our time - how they should be shut down to give others a chance to succeed. Suck it up you big stinkin' crybabies. Work your ass off and let's see you make it. If you can't, maybe you will be so fortunate to be hired by one who can, but my guess is you couldn't stop sniveling long enough to make it through an interview.
Sin #3
Greed
This is a hard topic for me.
I am a woman who desires simplicity bordering poverty but is blessed by a nation which thrives on capitalism - so, I will address both - briefly.
Rich Mullins will forever be my modern example of...so much. He was a seemingly wealthy man. He sold millions of albums - and had for a decade. Yet, he chose to live in humble settings accepting only the average income for an American. All of his other money was given to the poor and to the church. He chose what to do with his wealth.
give me neither poverty nor riches....
I do not believe however, that this makes him a better man or less of a man. It is simply something I aspire to.
Then there are men like Bill Gates or Donald Trump, and perhaps we see those names or see them on the television and we think "greed." If a man or woman is wealthy does that make them greedy? Or does it mean they are hard workers who have had great ideas and produced great incomes for themselves? Is a company that hires thousand of Americans a greedy company, or are they simply successful? Who is the greedy one: the million-dollar corporation, or the individual who wants to see them limit production out of "fairness to smaller business?" They are simply men and women who, like Rich, choose what to do with their own wealth.
I have witnessed far more greed in the undeserving. Those looters who yap about how the big business they work for is the great evil of our time - how they should be shut down to give others a chance to succeed. Suck it up you big stinkin' crybabies. Work your ass off and let's see you make it. If you can't, maybe you will be so fortunate to be hired by one who can, but my guess is you couldn't stop sniveling long enough to make it through an interview.
Bread
There once was a king of an small dominion who took great pride in his frugality. He often boasted that unlike the rulers of neighboring kingdoms, he bought his food in person at the local market instead of hiring a royal cook.
One day he was making his rounds when he noticed something that had escaped his attention before. For years, there had been one man who'd been his favorite breadmaker, who made the most enormous loafs of bread so soft they could be used as a pillow. What the king had failed to realize until today was that this man was blind.
A sly thought crept into the king's mind. He looked around at his attendants with a grin and a wink, and placed the customary three coins in the tin sitting on the counter. However, instead of taking just the one loaf he had purchased, he quietly took a second. Then, in a moment of inspiration, he turned to the breadmaker and said, "My good man, allow me to give you an extra token of gratitude for all the years you've put good dough on my table." With that, he put another coin into the tin, dropping in from an exaggerated height to ensure it made the loudest noise possible. Speechless, the breadmaker smiled broadly and nodded in appreciation.
This deed quickly became habit for the monarch, and this habit became a new boast. At the royal table, the king would gleam over his bargain bread, anticipating the adoration of his wife, the queen, and his only son, the prince. The queen would listen and smile graciously, but the prince could see the pain in her eyes. He knew that this was not as he had been taught. The closer to manhood the prince grew, the more ill it would make him to eat the king's bread.
As things go, time marched forward, and the day came when the king passed away, and his only son, the prince, ascended to his throne. The new king continued his father's legacy of thrift, but not in his greed. One day he called upon the blind breadmaker.
"Kind sir," the new king said, "I brought you here to confess and make recompense for my father's sin toward you . . ." He told the man how his father would steal an extra loaf from him after paying for only one, and how after this his father would feign charity by dropping the extra coin. The breadmaker's face sunk as he listened, and by the time the confession was finished, he had broken into deep sobs.
Just as the ruler was ready to make a move to comfort his subject, the blind man quietly answered, "If I had known my king was in such great need, I'd have given him both loaves for free." Upon hearing this the king approached the man, put his hands on his shoulders, and pressed his cheek to the poor breadmaker's. For several minutes, the two men wept together.
"Have no worries, my good man," the king whispered. "Today, you have shown my family more generosity than we could ever repay."
One day he was making his rounds when he noticed something that had escaped his attention before. For years, there had been one man who'd been his favorite breadmaker, who made the most enormous loafs of bread so soft they could be used as a pillow. What the king had failed to realize until today was that this man was blind.
A sly thought crept into the king's mind. He looked around at his attendants with a grin and a wink, and placed the customary three coins in the tin sitting on the counter. However, instead of taking just the one loaf he had purchased, he quietly took a second. Then, in a moment of inspiration, he turned to the breadmaker and said, "My good man, allow me to give you an extra token of gratitude for all the years you've put good dough on my table." With that, he put another coin into the tin, dropping in from an exaggerated height to ensure it made the loudest noise possible. Speechless, the breadmaker smiled broadly and nodded in appreciation.
This deed quickly became habit for the monarch, and this habit became a new boast. At the royal table, the king would gleam over his bargain bread, anticipating the adoration of his wife, the queen, and his only son, the prince. The queen would listen and smile graciously, but the prince could see the pain in her eyes. He knew that this was not as he had been taught. The closer to manhood the prince grew, the more ill it would make him to eat the king's bread.
As things go, time marched forward, and the day came when the king passed away, and his only son, the prince, ascended to his throne. The new king continued his father's legacy of thrift, but not in his greed. One day he called upon the blind breadmaker.
"Kind sir," the new king said, "I brought you here to confess and make recompense for my father's sin toward you . . ." He told the man how his father would steal an extra loaf from him after paying for only one, and how after this his father would feign charity by dropping the extra coin. The breadmaker's face sunk as he listened, and by the time the confession was finished, he had broken into deep sobs.
Just as the ruler was ready to make a move to comfort his subject, the blind man quietly answered, "If I had known my king was in such great need, I'd have given him both loaves for free." Upon hearing this the king approached the man, put his hands on his shoulders, and pressed his cheek to the poor breadmaker's. For several minutes, the two men wept together.
"Have no worries, my good man," the king whispered. "Today, you have shown my family more generosity than we could ever repay."
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
#2 - I just can't get enough
The Seven Deadly Sins
Sin #2
Gluttony
I was a latchkey kid. I haven't heard the term in a decade or more, so some of you youngin's may not be familiar. Being a latchkey kid meant that from age 7 or so, I would walk home from school, remove a key from a "hiding place in our front yard" and let myself in the house. Once inside, I could not answer the door, answer the phone or watch TV. I was also very limited on what I could eat. From the time I was a toddler I was not allowed artificial colors, sugar, dyes, you name it - all in an attempt to control my "hyperactivity." In a way I was honored to be trusted with the responsibility of being left alone.
My mother was a fan of ice cream sandwiches. One day I decided to have one myself and removed it from the box, peeled off the thin paper surrounding it and took my first bite of that cool treat. I was enchanted. I was so enchanted I had another, then another, and another - until I had eaten all but one. I looked at the box - the lone sandwich lying on its side knowing mom was going to kill me when she found out. Still, I reached in and took the last one. It was as though I could not control myself. Regardless of the consequences, I was going to have what I wanted.
And I look around and I see it everywhere today. Americans deciding "to hell with it all, I'm having it my way" and eating themselves into the health care system.
We have a parent (GOD) who loves us, and wants us to be healthy- providing good things to eat and the knowledge necessary to be healthy - but also giving us the responsibility to look after ourselves. If we choose to eat the whole box of ice cream sandwiches - or super size ourselves - He won't stop us. But it isn't what is best. It isn't what is good.
If we allow ourselves to become sick as a result, we risk not being able to work.
He who does not work, does not eat.
That should motivate you.
Sin #2
Gluttony
I was a latchkey kid. I haven't heard the term in a decade or more, so some of you youngin's may not be familiar. Being a latchkey kid meant that from age 7 or so, I would walk home from school, remove a key from a "hiding place in our front yard" and let myself in the house. Once inside, I could not answer the door, answer the phone or watch TV. I was also very limited on what I could eat. From the time I was a toddler I was not allowed artificial colors, sugar, dyes, you name it - all in an attempt to control my "hyperactivity." In a way I was honored to be trusted with the responsibility of being left alone.
My mother was a fan of ice cream sandwiches. One day I decided to have one myself and removed it from the box, peeled off the thin paper surrounding it and took my first bite of that cool treat. I was enchanted. I was so enchanted I had another, then another, and another - until I had eaten all but one. I looked at the box - the lone sandwich lying on its side knowing mom was going to kill me when she found out. Still, I reached in and took the last one. It was as though I could not control myself. Regardless of the consequences, I was going to have what I wanted.
And I look around and I see it everywhere today. Americans deciding "to hell with it all, I'm having it my way" and eating themselves into the health care system.
We have a parent (GOD) who loves us, and wants us to be healthy- providing good things to eat and the knowledge necessary to be healthy - but also giving us the responsibility to look after ourselves. If we choose to eat the whole box of ice cream sandwiches - or super size ourselves - He won't stop us. But it isn't what is best. It isn't what is good.
If we allow ourselves to become sick as a result, we risk not being able to work.
He who does not work, does not eat.
That should motivate you.
Gula
"It is a fat nation, of fat people.."
T.E. Lawrence
I find it odd that we always seem to want an out. We want to participate in "The Exception That Proves The Rule", while still holding onto our ability to berate others for violations that are often little more than personal affronts. We seem so happy to call out others indulgences of excess, but only when we can heave ourselves away from the table, wipe the stray crumbs from our mouths, swallow the last of our drink and clear our throat.
As if the excess of calories and libations aren't enough we seem to make the worst of choices in what we consume. We graze our cupboards, looking for that morsel so satisfying, and as soon as our eyes light upon a "Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bomb" we tear into it, consuming the whole thing as a starving man; which it would appear indeed we are.
We are not starving for calories or nutrition, we are starving for content. We are starving for relevance. We are starving for substance. We self-medicate with food and drink, bloating our bodies and emptying our souls. How is that different from the addict on the street or the stranger in the bar, trolling for their next fix, be it drugs, alchohol or meaningless sex? Gluttony seems to be the "Acceptable Sin" in the church. Apparently it's alright to starve our lives of meaning, but pack our bodies with worthless or excess food and drink in the name of "Fellowship", then pray for healing from our diabetes and heart disease brought on by morbid obesity.
Would that we as an Evangelical Culture would develop the same appetite for filling our hearts and souls that we have for filling our stomachs; and for once be willing to let our bodies hunger just a bit.
T.E. Lawrence
I find it odd that we always seem to want an out. We want to participate in "The Exception That Proves The Rule", while still holding onto our ability to berate others for violations that are often little more than personal affronts. We seem so happy to call out others indulgences of excess, but only when we can heave ourselves away from the table, wipe the stray crumbs from our mouths, swallow the last of our drink and clear our throat.
As if the excess of calories and libations aren't enough we seem to make the worst of choices in what we consume. We graze our cupboards, looking for that morsel so satisfying, and as soon as our eyes light upon a "Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bomb" we tear into it, consuming the whole thing as a starving man; which it would appear indeed we are.
We are not starving for calories or nutrition, we are starving for content. We are starving for relevance. We are starving for substance. We self-medicate with food and drink, bloating our bodies and emptying our souls. How is that different from the addict on the street or the stranger in the bar, trolling for their next fix, be it drugs, alchohol or meaningless sex? Gluttony seems to be the "Acceptable Sin" in the church. Apparently it's alright to starve our lives of meaning, but pack our bodies with worthless or excess food and drink in the name of "Fellowship", then pray for healing from our diabetes and heart disease brought on by morbid obesity.
Would that we as an Evangelical Culture would develop the same appetite for filling our hearts and souls that we have for filling our stomachs; and for once be willing to let our bodies hunger just a bit.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Remember the Sabbath
Exodus 20:8-11 (NRSV)
Do you want to avoid the sin of gluttony? Observe the Sabbath. Stop. Think about what you are doing. No matter what the activity is, whether it is work, eating, watching TV, stop and think. Think about the purpose of the activity. Think about whether you honor God by doing it. And be thankful for the privilege of doing it. That is how one avoids the sin of gluttony.
The irony of gluttony is that it is a passive sin that is committed by activity. When God created the heavens and the Earth, He was doing what was natural to Him. To stop on the seventh day took an act of will. In the same way, when a man works, he is doing what comes naturally to him since the fall. It doesn't take any thought to work every day, especially when one's survival depends on it. To take a day off is an active choice. We are naturally gluttons for work.
The most obvious way this can be tied together is with food. It is natural for a man to eat even past the point of satisfaction. It takes an act of the will to stop and think. A choice must be made to take pause and thank the Master of the Universe for His supply. So in saying grace we are, in effect, observing a Sabbath.
Now I'm going to take a break from writing. And I pray that in doing so that I will honor God in the act of writing itself.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Luxuria - The Lust of The Flesh, the Lust of The Eye
Well, I feel
Like I have to feel
Something good all of the time
With most of life I cannot deal
But a good feeling I can feel
Even though it may not be real
And if a person, place or thing can deliver
I will quiver with delight
But will it last me for all my life
Or just one more lonely night
Lust.
The vapid desire to be constantly stimulated, to be pleasured, to be entertained, to have something to fill our eyes, ears and minds so that we do not have to come face to face with the reality around us. In order that we not spend time contemplating our lives and confronting our own shortcomings and limitations, we create an artificial bubble through social convention and "quick-fix" laws. We think we are circumventing that most distasteful of all conditions, "Hard Work" and pat ourselves on the back at our own genius. We think we have bootstrapped ourselves to a higher plane of existence through confabulation, developing a freer, more open society and wonder why we are being sucked into the abyss faster than we can legislate, condemn and ignore our way out of it.
We self medicate our way to pseudo-euphoria through alcohol, drugs, self-delusion and all manner of perversion and wonder why one day we wake up and find ourselves not worthy of even a placemark in the lives of others, having done nothing to build them up and indeed often degrading the quality of their lives by the waste of ours.
Conversely, why do we seem to at the same time, wallow in self-pity; that most cancerous of emotions? We seem to have no balance. We are unwilling to accept the fact that life does not come forth without great agony, sustenance cannot exist apart from back-breaking work and peace is not the absence of war.
Why are we deluded into thinking we must always "Feel good"? Can we not shut off "American Idol" (Whose title alone should give us great pause), and "Dancing With The Stars" long enough to listen to the voice of reason over the cacophony of madness? Can we not shut off "Wife Swap" (Are we seeing a pattern here?) and "SuperNanny" long enough to peer into our own hearts and rectify what is wrong there before we gloat over how much better than others we are?
"For the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it?"
Like I have to feel
Something good all of the time
With most of life I cannot deal
But a good feeling I can feel
Even though it may not be real
And if a person, place or thing can deliver
I will quiver with delight
But will it last me for all my life
Or just one more lonely night
Lust.
The vapid desire to be constantly stimulated, to be pleasured, to be entertained, to have something to fill our eyes, ears and minds so that we do not have to come face to face with the reality around us. In order that we not spend time contemplating our lives and confronting our own shortcomings and limitations, we create an artificial bubble through social convention and "quick-fix" laws. We think we are circumventing that most distasteful of all conditions, "Hard Work" and pat ourselves on the back at our own genius. We think we have bootstrapped ourselves to a higher plane of existence through confabulation, developing a freer, more open society and wonder why we are being sucked into the abyss faster than we can legislate, condemn and ignore our way out of it.
We self medicate our way to pseudo-euphoria through alcohol, drugs, self-delusion and all manner of perversion and wonder why one day we wake up and find ourselves not worthy of even a placemark in the lives of others, having done nothing to build them up and indeed often degrading the quality of their lives by the waste of ours.
Conversely, why do we seem to at the same time, wallow in self-pity; that most cancerous of emotions? We seem to have no balance. We are unwilling to accept the fact that life does not come forth without great agony, sustenance cannot exist apart from back-breaking work and peace is not the absence of war.
Why are we deluded into thinking we must always "Feel good"? Can we not shut off "American Idol" (Whose title alone should give us great pause), and "Dancing With The Stars" long enough to listen to the voice of reason over the cacophony of madness? Can we not shut off "Wife Swap" (Are we seeing a pattern here?) and "SuperNanny" long enough to peer into our own hearts and rectify what is wrong there before we gloat over how much better than others we are?
"For the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it?"
Sunday, March 25, 2007
#1 - I can't get no satisfaction
The Seven Deadly Sins
Sin #1
Lust
We all gotta die of something.
Nigel Barker; photographer, model and judge on America's Next Top Model. Nigel Barker is most likely the sexiest man I have ever seen - yes - even poor Colin would take a back seat of that bus. Nigel, sweet beautiful Nigel....my oh my..... Yummy.
Moving right along, because that is what we do - or do we?
Say we don't.
Say that all I can think about is Nigel - every thought in my day is spent thinking of him - every part of my being demands it.
Wow. Lust sucks.
And you know - I know this one well. I know most of you may not want to hear that. You have this other idea of who Keely is - but if you don't know that side - than you are seeing the side I want to be. The truth is, I have been a slave to lust on and off during my lifetime. And you know, in our American society today, I am welcome to be a slave to lust - except that we celebrate it, and say I am not a slave, rather I am liberated. Some freakin' liberation.
The crappy thing about lust is that in it you can never be satisfied. You are in a constant search and hunger to fulfill your ever increasing need. Lust can never be fulfilled - it can never be satisfied. It can only be fed, and the more it is fed, the larger the beast becomes.
And they call this liberation, and confidence - and sexy.
I would rather search and be satisfied.
Sin #1
Lust
We all gotta die of something.
Nigel Barker; photographer, model and judge on America's Next Top Model. Nigel Barker is most likely the sexiest man I have ever seen - yes - even poor Colin would take a back seat of that bus. Nigel, sweet beautiful Nigel....my oh my..... Yummy.
Moving right along, because that is what we do - or do we?
Say we don't.
Say that all I can think about is Nigel - every thought in my day is spent thinking of him - every part of my being demands it.
Wow. Lust sucks.
And you know - I know this one well. I know most of you may not want to hear that. You have this other idea of who Keely is - but if you don't know that side - than you are seeing the side I want to be. The truth is, I have been a slave to lust on and off during my lifetime. And you know, in our American society today, I am welcome to be a slave to lust - except that we celebrate it, and say I am not a slave, rather I am liberated. Some freakin' liberation.
The crappy thing about lust is that in it you can never be satisfied. You are in a constant search and hunger to fulfill your ever increasing need. Lust can never be fulfilled - it can never be satisfied. It can only be fed, and the more it is fed, the larger the beast becomes.
And they call this liberation, and confidence - and sexy.
I would rather search and be satisfied.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Deathtrap Daisy
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
For by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.
Proverbs 6:23-26 (NKJV)
It's such a sad story. The woman in these verses was not born a seductress, nor was she meant to become one. In the same way, desire was not originally lust, nor was it ever meant to become that. God gave us this wonderful gift of sex. We've perverted it. I have to wonder what we've lost by doing that. How would we experience romantic love, even erotic love, today if it was still as God created it? Who would this woman be if her purpose hadn't been twisted somewhere along the way?
What's ironic is that we think we've pulled one over on God. We wave our fornication, our adultery, our hedonism in His face as if He's the one who has lost something. I can see this woman called Lust joining us in our derision of the Creator, not knowing that her contempt is for us as well. We have paid the price for buying into her deception. Now that we've given ourselves over to her, she's gained a part of us, a part we can never recover. Just as the young man who gives into temptation has his vision of women forever dimmed, so has humanity's idea of sexuality been permanently colored by Lust.
The answer provided in this passage, however, is not to disengage from our desire. It is to approach it with wisdom, which can be learned from God's commandments and guidance. We must acknowledge that our own vision is obscured, and that we should move forward only with the help of the One who sees rightly. It is in our despair at having become a whore that we look to Him and regain the hope of becoming His pure bride.
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