Disturbing the World

‘Where Faith Meets Reality’

Winter 2009/10 is over. Soon spring will be popping out all over. Robins have been gathering in clusters on the lawn outside my window. Days are getting longer, and somehow, blue skies are bluer than ever.

March Madness has arrived. Before getting lost in it or we start complaining about April showers or worrying over a hot summer, we ought to take a moment to reflect on this past winter.

Loads of snow wreaked havoc Read the rest of this entry »

One of the seminal movies for baby-boomers was a sentimental tear-jerker called Love Story. It remains the quintessential chick-flick, and came to mind while seeing one too many commercials for Valentine’s Day. 

The jewelry outlets and florists are geared up for the big day. Hallmark banks on the tugging of heartstrings. Every marketer imaginable gets in on the act. 

Each sixty second blurb presents a love story filled with hopes and dreams. The sparkling eyes and bright smiles of the actors give the impression that love will conquer all, which can inspire optimism, even among world-weary cynics. Read the rest of this entry »

In the movie Twelve Monkeys, Brad Pitt’s character gets worked up into a psychotic excitement and utters these prophetic words:

“There’s the television. It’s all right there, it’s all right there. Look, listen, kneel, pray. Commercials. We’re not productive anymore; we’re not used to making things anymore. It’s all automated. What are we for then? We’re consumers. Okay, okay. Buy a lot of stuff, you’re a good citizen. But if you don’t buy a lot of stuff? If you don’t, what are you, I ask you? What?”

Is that just a delusional rant in a science fiction movie or an undeniable truth that haunts us? Read the rest of this entry »

Christopher Columbus rattled the establishment. In 1492 he sailed west from Spain to discover a new trade route to the Far East, but instead he followed the stars to the Caribbean Basin.

At the time, Nicolaus Copernicus was a nineteen-year-old astronomer working on a radical theory that placed the sun at the center of the solar system and not the earth. It was a revolutionary concept because it challenged Aristotle. Scientists and philosophers held true to Aristotle’s principle that the earth was the fixed center of the universe.

Copernicus did not make many friends in religious circles either, but he persevered forward. His ideas outraged both the Catholic and emerging Protestant churches because from their perspective he was contradicting accepted theological understandings; he wasn’t just taking on Aristotle, he was attacking God’s Word. Read the rest of this entry »

Advent Season unfolds in the midst of carnival-like barkers vying for our attention. The halls are all being decked while marketing agents scheme to capture our imagination. Colorful brochures arrive daily; on television sixty-second episodes guarantee happiness or satisfaction if the product being hawked is purchased. Amid all the hoopla it is easy to slip into the commercialization trap.

We ought to take heed, for while being assailed by advertising we can be consumed by a perspective that actually diminishes us. Leave the counting of cash and tallying up the score to those who glorify material prosperity. The real focus should be riveted on an event of absolute wonder.

These December days are set aside to prepare our hearts to celebrate a mysterious event. Read the rest of this entry »