The French and the Pitot Tube
Spare Parts and Leftover Screws
The Limey Brit got me thinking about how aviation would be different if we followed the same vane as the rest of the world's effort to bring politics into everyday language. Here's to a patriotic de-frenched version of aeronatutical terms.
Empannage - French for "Feathers of an arrow." English equivalent - You can't get too fancy with a tail and get away with it.
Pilot - French for "steersman of the ship". English equivelant - I'm the one in charge so I can call myself whatever I want
Fuselage - A weaving term for a spindle with thread wrapped around it. (Only the french could make that connection) English equivelent - Very expensive place to sit out the ride.
Aileron - "little wings." The English call them flippers. How about "freedom flippers"
Nacelle - French (and in Latin (Navis) "ship" English equivalent - Conquer cowling?
Mayday - Taken from the french "m'aidez" which means "help me" They need it. English version- "Holy crap - I'm going down."
Saturday, April 05, 2003
Christian Potpourri
Rants and Delusions
As I walked the aisles of the store, I was amazed at the wares they were hawking. They had everything. Books lined one side, self-help manuals the other. I passed aisles of household trinkets that would have made Martha Stewart proud and rivaled Pier 1 for selection. They had sections of CDs, DVDs, and every other form of home entertainment I could ever want. I saw posters and post-it notes, decorative mirrors and door mats, breath mints and those little inspirational potpourri candle things that cover the scent of yesterdays garlic bread. My head was spinning. Then, as I turned the corner, I remembered why I had come in the first place. There under the bestseller spotlight was the "Prayer of Jabez" display. It was a Christian Bookstore. I had come for a book on Godly living. They were out of stock.
Welcome to the world of cultural Christianity. I spent the last several years watching it grow with much interest. Sometimes I find it very amusing. Other times I border on concern for how far it has gone.
I remember going to a weeklong church convention and being amazed at the variety of "God Stuff" that has worked its way into the act of worship. I walked into the foyer and was immediately greet by dozens of stands, each selling their own method of worship. I passed tables of tambourines, rows of multicolored ribbons, various displays of banners, tables of every type of worship CD imaginable, highly polished rams' horns, and prayer vests. Prayer vests? $100? They were handmade. Oh-I see. It made me thankful that the Person interceding on my behalf doesn't require it to be a "black tie only" affair. I made my way through the foyer (with my wallet still intact) and entered the auditorium. There the pianist was praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to enter the room. First, I wondered where He had gone and then looked over my shoulder hoping that He came back it wouldn't be with whip in hand, looking for some tables to tip.
What has brought about the big business of Christian Potpourri? I think John Fischer best described the reasons behind cultural Christianity in a poem he wrote. He used a play on words to describe the reaction to Christ's commandment to be "in the world, but not of it." He explains that many people have taken it to be "of the world, but not in it." Think about it. He is right. We have taken the world of materialistic commercialism and made it our own. We justify our desire to fill our life with things by giving those things a message. I see two very real problems with this mentality
First, we have removed the Christian message from the world by creating its own category. Music can no longer just be music. It is either Christian or secular. In our effort to create an identity of Christian art we have taken artists who are Christians and forced them into the box of Christian artists. In doing so we have lost the ability to find God in anything other than Christian things. Is God not in everyday life? Then why can't we find Him unless it has a Christian label?
Second, if is Christian then it must be so obviously Christian that we blunt the power of honest expression. There is no room in a Christian record label to express anything other than an "everything is always okay now that I know Jesus and you should know him too" attitude. We surround ourselves with inspiring pictures of lighted houses and pithy sayings. We barricade ourselves behind a wall of Christian T-shirts and WWJD bracelets. Thomas Kincaid, in describing his paintings, admits that he paints the world without flaw. It is not reality. Is that really surprising? The reality of the Christian life does not always neatly fit on a poster. The truth of my walk with Christ does not fit on a refrigerator magnet. I am a liar every time I reach to put on a FROG (Fully Rely on God) bracelet. We can't live up to that. Filling our world with more reminders doesn't make it easier.
The result is that the rest of the world sees right through it. Take the "Prayer of Jabez" for example. I do not deny the message of asking God to expand our opportunities for service is a good one. However we have taken that and created a frenzy that is nothing short of laughable. Do we really need "Prayer of Jabez" stationary? Is it more spiritual to write the need for toilet paper on "Prayer of Jabez" grocery lists? Give me a break. The result is seen in a T-shirt I saw on Andrew Duncalf's page. What was its message? "I prayed the Prayer of Jabez for 30 days and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt." Well said. Taking the power of prayer away from God and creating a marketing opportunity out of it only creates scenarios that are laughed at on the latest "Saturday Night Live."
Effective evangelism is not in marketing a Christian Label. Anybody can see through that. It depends on the honest interaction of individual people. When was the last time you sat down to watch Christian TV? The world depends on us to be real. The love of Christ cannot be expressed on a doormat. It takes more than a picture of some footprints by the beach to convey the Hope of knowing Christ. A breath mint never saved anybody. The answer is not in things.
I guess that leaves me. If only I didn't have a headache from sniffing all that potpourri.
Rants and Delusions
As I walked the aisles of the store, I was amazed at the wares they were hawking. They had everything. Books lined one side, self-help manuals the other. I passed aisles of household trinkets that would have made Martha Stewart proud and rivaled Pier 1 for selection. They had sections of CDs, DVDs, and every other form of home entertainment I could ever want. I saw posters and post-it notes, decorative mirrors and door mats, breath mints and those little inspirational potpourri candle things that cover the scent of yesterdays garlic bread. My head was spinning. Then, as I turned the corner, I remembered why I had come in the first place. There under the bestseller spotlight was the "Prayer of Jabez" display. It was a Christian Bookstore. I had come for a book on Godly living. They were out of stock.
Welcome to the world of cultural Christianity. I spent the last several years watching it grow with much interest. Sometimes I find it very amusing. Other times I border on concern for how far it has gone.
I remember going to a weeklong church convention and being amazed at the variety of "God Stuff" that has worked its way into the act of worship. I walked into the foyer and was immediately greet by dozens of stands, each selling their own method of worship. I passed tables of tambourines, rows of multicolored ribbons, various displays of banners, tables of every type of worship CD imaginable, highly polished rams' horns, and prayer vests. Prayer vests? $100? They were handmade. Oh-I see. It made me thankful that the Person interceding on my behalf doesn't require it to be a "black tie only" affair. I made my way through the foyer (with my wallet still intact) and entered the auditorium. There the pianist was praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to enter the room. First, I wondered where He had gone and then looked over my shoulder hoping that He came back it wouldn't be with whip in hand, looking for some tables to tip.
What has brought about the big business of Christian Potpourri? I think John Fischer best described the reasons behind cultural Christianity in a poem he wrote. He used a play on words to describe the reaction to Christ's commandment to be "in the world, but not of it." He explains that many people have taken it to be "of the world, but not in it." Think about it. He is right. We have taken the world of materialistic commercialism and made it our own. We justify our desire to fill our life with things by giving those things a message. I see two very real problems with this mentality
First, we have removed the Christian message from the world by creating its own category. Music can no longer just be music. It is either Christian or secular. In our effort to create an identity of Christian art we have taken artists who are Christians and forced them into the box of Christian artists. In doing so we have lost the ability to find God in anything other than Christian things. Is God not in everyday life? Then why can't we find Him unless it has a Christian label?
Second, if is Christian then it must be so obviously Christian that we blunt the power of honest expression. There is no room in a Christian record label to express anything other than an "everything is always okay now that I know Jesus and you should know him too" attitude. We surround ourselves with inspiring pictures of lighted houses and pithy sayings. We barricade ourselves behind a wall of Christian T-shirts and WWJD bracelets. Thomas Kincaid, in describing his paintings, admits that he paints the world without flaw. It is not reality. Is that really surprising? The reality of the Christian life does not always neatly fit on a poster. The truth of my walk with Christ does not fit on a refrigerator magnet. I am a liar every time I reach to put on a FROG (Fully Rely on God) bracelet. We can't live up to that. Filling our world with more reminders doesn't make it easier.
The result is that the rest of the world sees right through it. Take the "Prayer of Jabez" for example. I do not deny the message of asking God to expand our opportunities for service is a good one. However we have taken that and created a frenzy that is nothing short of laughable. Do we really need "Prayer of Jabez" stationary? Is it more spiritual to write the need for toilet paper on "Prayer of Jabez" grocery lists? Give me a break. The result is seen in a T-shirt I saw on Andrew Duncalf's page. What was its message? "I prayed the Prayer of Jabez for 30 days and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt." Well said. Taking the power of prayer away from God and creating a marketing opportunity out of it only creates scenarios that are laughed at on the latest "Saturday Night Live."
Effective evangelism is not in marketing a Christian Label. Anybody can see through that. It depends on the honest interaction of individual people. When was the last time you sat down to watch Christian TV? The world depends on us to be real. The love of Christ cannot be expressed on a doormat. It takes more than a picture of some footprints by the beach to convey the Hope of knowing Christ. A breath mint never saved anybody. The answer is not in things.
I guess that leaves me. If only I didn't have a headache from sniffing all that potpourri.
Friday, April 04, 2003
The End of an Era?
Spare Parts and Leftover Screws
Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago ordered midnight sneak attacks on Meigs Field , using bulldozers to carve massive "X"s into the runway. The cowardly act has left the aviation industry outraged. He has used the false pretense of homeland security to close a historic and beautiful airport, and prompted a backlash from AOPA, the FAA, the state legislature, and the general aviation public. It is a sad day, and, yes, I'll admit to being sentimental toward a piece of land.
Spare Parts and Leftover Screws
Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago ordered midnight sneak attacks on Meigs Field , using bulldozers to carve massive "X"s into the runway. The cowardly act has left the aviation industry outraged. He has used the false pretense of homeland security to close a historic and beautiful airport, and prompted a backlash from AOPA, the FAA, the state legislature, and the general aviation public. It is a sad day, and, yes, I'll admit to being sentimental toward a piece of land.