Unity Blog
This page holds the latest blog posts in my 12 week gym challenge and my goal of finding cosmic spirit unity. So I will write about Christianity and religion, politics, news, history, sentimental fluff, in other words the thought fireflies flitting around in my mind. I haved named it the Unity Blog
| Let's Begin | ---- Jan 22 | ---- Jan 27 | |
| ---- Jan 31 | |||
| Current Post | ---- Feb 4 | ||
| ---- Feb 13 |
February 14-16
Continuing the message
Scripture Luke 6 v31:38 The Message
A Conversation
Creating Loving Environment
Can we be brutally honest and not make everyone mad? The key is to
always turn brutally into lovingly. We need loving honesty; truth
offered with a cookie and a cup of coffee, or glass of milk, depending
upon the age group. Actually I love milk almost as much as coffee, and
I am not addicted to milk.
Speaking in a loving and honest way is not just blowing off steam in a
rant of your irritations. Speaking in an honest way is first hearing
the person on the other side of the table. It may be that they are
only 1% correct, but recognize everyone’s thoughts are worth a penny.
I believe speaking and listening with loving honesty is the same for
your family and our church family.
The first stumbling block in loving honesty is that people do not speak the real concern or issue.
-
-
The next stumbling block is we complain about or point out what is wrong, but do not have an honest loving conversation with the person. The last most important stumbling block is we are not lovingly honest with ourselves. We often do not admit the real issue to ourselves or accept our own shortcomings in a loving and honest way. We are not sin soaked wretches, nor are we saints; we are fallible human beings. We have potential to overcome our flaws, and God wants us to recognize we all have value. Each of us has some way to serve, something good to offer. God always offers us the opportunity to share our talents in the moment we are. If we have conflicts with someone we may always find them difficult. As much as I try to change I may still never click with someone else. At my age I have been to several class reunions. I went to school with the same kids for 12 years. In my class of about 60 almost 90% went to Roseville all 12 years. People grow up, some get better looking, others just fatter and grayer. We may even wash our shirt in a washing machine, and never wade in a dirty old creek, but there remains something the same. Our real friends are still friends, our irritating classmates still irritate. Even as we all seek to align ourselves with God, we will stay ourselves. In our family and in our church family we must recognize even working as God’s servants, we will still have differences.
-
In the late sixties and early seventies we all had conflict in our families as old values were questioned and new ones were embraced. At least embraced by the young. I had a good friend who had great conflicts with his parents while he went to college. It was as if they could not stop trying to prove to each other they were wrong, absolutely wrong. It drove them so far apart, it was a long time before they reconciled. It was the culture war, a war still being fought by those born before 1970. We all dress more casually than before this clash, and jeans, we all wear denim jeans. This is the greatest benefit of the culture war.
Another clash of the culture war was hair; movies, songs, and musicals were made about Hair. I sported a flat top until I was a senior in high school. My mother didn’t like the flat top, and my senior picture was OK, but in all honesty she hasn’t been happy with my hair since I was six. Nancy was pushing for a haircut before today, but it is part of the object lesson. I try to keep my hair from becoming too much of an embarrassment to my mother, wife, and sons. I don’t really think about it much. I am not sure how I would wear it, if it were just left to me. At one time people thought I should color it to hide my gray, but no, not me. Even now that it is white. My hair is still a conflict, my hangover from the culture wars.
Then came the part where I walked down and just tried to tell the story of my prayers, trials, failures, and joys of creating a program, a company, and at times a living hell. I just tried to convey how hard I worked, how well intentioned I was, how utterly I failed. Only love of family and love of the church family brought me through. The written text was getting out of hand so I just watched the clock and tried to communicate what I gained from my experience in an extemporaneous fashion. I will edit the text tomorrow and it will become the next blog post.
-
Return
to Illinois Observer Index 
Forgottonia is a place where you can endlessly wander the lonely roads, and never once miss the fast lane. The name Forgottonia captures an image of a region, off the beaten path, which is very true of Western Illinois.
