A Practice of Maintenance

In medical circles anesthesiologists get a bad rap. Mostly I think the other specialties are jealous because the job is not like an average doctor. I recently finished my anesthesiology rotation and enjoyed the relaxing part of it. Unlike the surgeons whom I want to be someday anesthetists are a relaxed bunch. On their side of the curtain the job is to put things on auto pilot and monitor for any changes. Maintaining and monitoring is the name of the game.

I attended a baseball game recently with a friend. Baseball on TV bores me but live is another story. The aroma of a ballpark on a summer evening is unbeatable; peanuts, hotdogs and beer. I dream of moments spent in ballparks. It is the perfect place to have meaningful conversations with enough distraction to make it not awkward. The art of monitoring is the key.

To live life maintaining is different matter. I have relaxed a lot in the last few years but still am an uptight, type A personality. I never want my life to be about maintaining anything. Not my job, not my family, not my reputation, not my faith. It seems to me that maintenance is the opposite of growth. I want to grow, to learn, to pursue, to build, to love. One of the things that draws me to Christ as described in the bible is this emphasis. We're to be part of the inbreaking of a radical kingdom, not custodians waiting for a magical reentrance. That's worth living (& dying?) for.

Why Bother?

A friend lent me the Pedro the Lion album "Control"”. This song has been stuck with me since...

Options

We were walking, holding hands,
With our bare feet in the sand
And the seagulls overhead
When I broke the spell and said

"I could never divorce you
Without a good reason
Though I may never have to,
It's good to have options
But for now I need you
But for now I need you
But for now I need you"

But it was only in my head
Because no one ever says
What they really mean to say
When there's that much at stake

So I told her I loved her
And she told me she loved me
And I mostly believed her
And she mostly believed me.

What a great summation of my generations thoughts on the potential of Love and Marriage. If Pedro the Lion is correct, what does a young single person such as myself have to gain by getting married. Our parents have destroyed the divine plan of marriage and it will be up to our generation to slowly rebuild it.

Talk is Cheap

When will it end? It seems daily if not hourly we hear talk of what people will do. The equally unatractive alternative is occationaly exagerated talk of what has been done. The quiet people are the ones who impress me. There are few people who would rather quiety act and possibly be observed than talk boistrously and shout to ensure the crowds hear their acomplishments. Speaking with friend today remainded me of this in a sad context.

We were talking about the church. I often talk about the church, read about the church, and listen about the church. My closest friends do the same. We have been convinced, not neccisarily by Bill Hybels, that the GLOBAL church is the hope of the world. Its biblical and it gives us a place to seek hope and present it to our discouraged friends. There is hope in the active church, futility in the talking one.

What would happen if we all just shut up?