The Scariest Thing (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

“Do you know what the scariest thing is?”

This is the question raised by Elijah Price in the movie, Unbreakable. It’s the pivotal question of the movie. And it’s answer drives everything in the story.

Early in the movie, we learn that Price was born with brittle bones ... bones that break very easily. Because he was so breakable, other children yoked young Elijah with the moniker, “Mr. Glass.” His affliction fills him with fear; fear that all the pain, all the surgeries and hospital stays, all the casts and metal pins in his bones, may be all for nothing. That he may just be so afflicted for no reason whatsoever.

So he asks the question: “Do you know what the scariest thing is?” And he also supplies the answer: “To not know your place in this world, to not know why you're here.”

In this week’s Samuel passage, God set David on the throne of Israel. He did it in such a way that there could be no doubt on anyone’s part. David knew his place in this world.

In the Ezekiel passage, God made Ezekiel a prophet. He did it in such a way that no one, least of all Ezekiel, could ever doubt he had been sent by God. Ezekiel knew his place in this world.

In the Corinthians letter, the Apostle Paul explained that he accepted God’s imposition of a “thorn in the flesh.” It showed everyone that God had extended His grace to a flawed vessel, that God’s grace was enough. Paul knew his place in this world.

And, finally, in the Mark passage: Jesus, on a visit to his hometown, had a shocking encounter with the life He could have had. He was forced to deal with an inability to do at home the kinds of amazing miracles he had done everywhere else. As a result, He turned away from His hometown and headed off to carry the good news elsewhere ... somewhere people were more receptive to His message.

Jesus knew his place in this world.

In the movie, Elijah Price shapes his life around a vision of who he might be, a vision he formed in isolation. In our examples this week, each person was open to God’s leading and instruction concerning who and what he was. Sure, they experienced fear in their lives, but not a fear of what purpose they served in this life. Each knew his place in this world.

The scariest thing is not the conclusion reached by Elijah Price —though it could be ... if you pursued the answer in isolation.

The scariest thing is to live your life without God in it. Your place is with Him.

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PHOTO (and more about the movie, Unbreakable):
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217869/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 9 (14) (July 8, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Psalm 48
Ezekiel 2:1-5
Psalm 123
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13

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How was July 4th for you? I hope you were able to have time to celebrate and recreate some. We continue to meet DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast Friday mornings at the Waco “Egg and I” Restaurant. Join us at 8:00 for an hour of food, fellowship, and scripture.

Blessings,
Steve

The Rise and Fall of Atticus Finch? (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

I borrowed this title from an event I attended recently. It was a showing of the film, "To Kill A Mockingbird," preceded by a talk. The event was hosted by the Dean of the Baylor Law School and the talk was presented by the Dean of Baylor's Honors College. Harper Lee's continually bestselling novel was published in 1960 and became an instant classic; same for the movie, released two years later. It is no stretch to say that one of the story's main themes, racial justice, fueled both book and ticket sales during the height of the civil rights movement.

In the movie, Gregory Peck portrays Atticus Finch: attorney, widower, and single father of two. Central to the story is that Finch does the unthinkable in Depression Era Alabama: he defends a black man accused of beating and sexually assaulting a white woman.

There is another aspect that bears exploring, though: the impact To Kill A Mockingbird has had on the law as a vocation. Many an attorney has pointed to Atticus Finch as the reason they chose to pursue a career in law. Many can quote long passages from the book/movie. In fact, as I learned from the pre-film talk, Atticus Finch is the number one movie hero of all time. Indiana Jones came in second. George Bailey is only ninth, and Superman is a distant 26th. [Per the American Film Institute http://www.afi.com/100years/handv.aspx]

As you might expect, there were quite a few attorneys and proto-attorneys with me in that audience. What drove most of them to that gathering is Go Set A Watchmen, Harper Lee's recently published novel. It takes place several years later, but includes characters from Mockingbird; most significantly, Atticus and now-grown daughter Jean Louise (Scout).

Perhaps you've heard; in Watchman, Atticus is not as heroic as he was in Mockingbird. In fact, without giving away anything that has not already been discussed in almost every forum, Jean Louise is shocked to learn her father is less the racial hero than she had remembered from her childhood. But is it truly a case of "rise and fall?"

Consider David: when asked to think of him, most of us quickly recall David-the-Psalmist, or David-the-shepherd, or David-the-giant-killer. Some might, upon reflection, mention David-the-King or maybe David-the-military-leader. But, for most of us, David-the-adulterer is not our go-to memory of him. David-the-failed-father doesn't pop up often, either. And, well, really, who wants to remember David-the-murderer?

We don't. But we should.

Here is the short of it: we're all human. And by virtue of that state, complex. None of us is afforded the luxury of remaining the same person throughout our life. We change. But we are still, to one degree or another, the people we have been. Yes, ideally, we mature as we accumulate life experiences; learning, hopefully, to be better people, to lessen our lesser natures and to increase our better parts.

Atticus is less than ideal to his grown daughter, but it is not likely he has devolved since he defended Tom Robinson in the 1930's: his racial prejudices had to have existed, then. The truth of it is this: in service to the law, Atticus stepped around the enculturated racial prejudice of his time and place to provide a vigorous defense of a black man. What he did, then, becomes even more noble when you view it through that lens. When he implores the jury, "In the name of God, do your duty!" he is asking them to join him in that nobility.

To borrow from Doctor Who, "We all change, when you think about it, we're all different people; all through our lives. And that's okay . . . so long as you remember all the people that you used to be." As is brought home so clearly in this week's Lectionary passage from James 2, we must love our neighbors as ourselves, regardless of our prejudices. When we think of David, and of the Atticus Finch's we know, and of each other, we must do so with a large serving of mercy. It helps if we keep in mind all of the people we have been in this life.

“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. (‭‭James‬ ‭2:8-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬. http://bible.com/111/jas.2.8-13.niv)

"Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Proper 18 (23) (September 6, 2015)

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Psalm 125
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm 146
James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17
Mark 7:24-37

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The weather's changing! Mornings are a bit cooler, afternoons are only double digits. It's not yet fall, but the promise of it is here. I hope you can join us one of these cooler Friday mornings for Lectionary Breakfast. We still meet for about an hour at 8:00 in the group room of the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. We spend our time enjoying each other's company, eating some great food, and finding ways we can apply the scriptures to our lives.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

The Riverwalk (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

I'm sitting on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. My objective this morning was to wander along these paths, enjoy the relative coolness of being below-street, take in the beauty, and then, maybe, find a spot to sit and think (and write).

Mission somewhat accomplished.

After a lazy meander, I am now sipping iced tea and nibbling on fresh berries (with just a smidge of cream) at "Ostra," a pleasant eatery on the banks of the San Antonio River. Across from me is La Mansion, one of SA's finest hotels for several decades. We stayed there on our honeymoon.

I am sitting here under a large market umbrella and happy for it: the sun is merciless, even down here. It is much warmer at street level, but even down here the shade is very welcome. I am surrounded by greenery.

All would be ideal but for one thing. When I set out on this little jaunt, I had forgotten something important, failed to take into account something critical

Jackhammer season.

Yes, even in Texas, summer is when we repair our streets. It is a factor one might forget when planning a vacation. Or a stroll along the banks of a river. In my defense, all was ideal when I sat down. The cacophony started about the time my berries arrived, and continues still. Everything else is as expected and desired. Still, even the accumulation of every other positive factor is not enough to overcome the one negative factor of the jackhammer.

One change can change everything.

That's the situation we encounter in this week's Lectionary selection from 2nd Samuel. As promised to David by God, in response to David's evil actions connected to Bathsheba, one of his grown sons has led a rebellion to overthrow the kingdom. The intrigues led to war, and, at the time of this passage, the war has moved in the "forest of Ephraim."

It was the final battle.

Scripture reports, "The forest claimed more victims that day than the sword." (2Samuel 18:8 NRSV)

We could speculate about the possible outcomes of those battles, that war; and many have. Some take the scripture at face value, believing the thick undergrowth, steep ravines, pits, and precipices were directly responsible for the rebels' deaths. Even the Targum (Rabbinic opinion; e.g., THE source in the days Jesus taught) states they were devoured by the beasts of the forest. Others, though, believe the thick forest prevented them from outrunning their pursuers, resulting in deaths by sword, just not on the "field of battle." But, just about everyone agrees on one thing: when those rebels moved into that forest, they made a fatal mistake.

Our takeaway? There are many, potentially. Environment matters. Planning needs to account for as many factors as possible. Choose your battles. No battle plan ever survives actual contact with the enemy. Know your terrain. Wicked friends lead to wicked ends. I'm sure you can think of others.

For me, it's this: align yourself with God's chosen.

Circumstances will vary (you never know when a jackhammer will start up), and some will be bad, but they all pale in comparison to eternity.

Choose wisely. And if you're not sure how to do that, then choose love. You can't go wrong with love.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Proper 14 (19) (August 9, 2015)
First reading and Psalm
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
Psalm 130
Alternate First reading and Psalm
1 Kings 19:4-8
Psalm 34:1-8
Second reading
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Gospel
John 6:35, 41-51
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Friday's coming! Will you be with us for Lectionary Breakfast? We're continuing to meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. Our time together, though brief, sets the tone for the whole day. Join us for food, scripture, a "robust exchange of ideas," and some hilarity (seriously) 😊

Enjoy the week!
Steve

The End of the Story (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

A while back, a young man got very excited about something he believed would revolutionize the work he did. That's not unusual, especially for young people. In this case, the "something" was a new level of computer animation. This young animator was so excited about this new animation idea he pitched it to his manager as something the company should do.

He was fired.

The reason? His boss told him it was because he was “screwing around with crazy ideas instead of doing his job.” End of story. Or so we might assume.

But IS that really the end of the story? People get fired every day, sometimes justly and sometimes otherwise. For the person freshly terminated from the working world, it certainly FEELS like it's the end. Still, as those of us who have been around a while have learned, what seems like the end of a person's story is really the beginning of another chapter.

In the case of our young animator, though disappointed in his company's response to his recommendation for change, he was not done. He went looking for more receptive ears . . . and he found them.

In the person of Steve Jobs.

Soon, he was at the center of that revolution in animation. And before long, he was a producer with such hits under his belt as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. They say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. In this case, it was Disney's trash that became Pixar's treasure.

But even THAT isn't the end of the story. When Disney later acquired Pixar, that former employee returned to Disney and became head of Disney’s animation.

In this week's Lectionary selections, we get to see a couple chapters in the story of King Saul and (future King) David. There were some dark times; scary situations with adversaries, rejection by the King. There were even worse times ahead, but God's story for David had many more chapters to go. Still, despite how bad things got, David maintained his confidence in God. And, as we are privileged to know since we can read David's entire story in scripture, God honored David's faith.

Our lives come in seasons and our stories are told in chapters. Be patient. Allow the time for God's plan to unfold. You never know what is just around the corner.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/
Proper 7 (12) (June 21, 2015)

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49
Psalm 9:9-20
or
1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 18:10-16
Psalm 133
Job 38:1-11
Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Mark 4:35-41
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We have such a nice time each Friday morning at our Lectionary Breakfast gathering. If you're in the area, join us for a great start to your weekend. The food is tasty and the fellowship cannot be matched. We still meet at 8:00 at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant, corner of New Road and Franklin, in the center near Outback.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

With Great Power

With great power . . .
(a brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

When I saw it there on the little spin rack at the corner drug store, I knew it was going to be different. It's been 50 years, but I still vividly recall that cover art, the colorful red and blue masked figure swinging high among the skyscrapers, a frightened felon casually tucked under his arms. It was August 1962 and I was holding Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider Man. No one knew how significant this would become for the entertainment industry; that this character would still be going strong 50 years later.

It was a milestone moment in my life, too, one of those hinge points we look back on and say, "Something significant changed in my life because of that."

Most people know the basic story, especially if you have seen the most recent film version of this character. But for those who do not know: Peter Parker is a high school boy who lives with his elderly Uncle Ben and Aunt May in the NYC borough of Queens, a shy science nerd (routinely the target of bullies and always turned down for dates) who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and develops amazing spider-like abilities. He then applies his scientific skills to create a super strong "webbing" he uses to swing around the city's high ground.

Initially, he employs his new found abilities to line his pockets with cash, and quickly finds himself on prime time television raking in the big dough. It soon comes to a crashing halt, though. When a thief runs right past him, Peter ignores the request of a security guard to intervene. He is later crushed to learn his inaction led to the death of his beloved Uncle Ben. He then dedicates his life to fighting crime as penance for his hubris.

Like all good morality plays, the lesson comes at the end. And it was at the end of that first Spider Man story where my own life took a turn. There, in the final panel, above a lone person walking between shadowy cityscapes are these words: "And a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come - - great responsibility!"

Perhaps you're thinking something along the lines of, "Well, yes, everyone knows that." Perhaps they do, now. But 50 years ago, to a boy still in his wonder years, this was a revelation. And I don't think it is any stretch to claim that, because of Spider Man, some version of "With great power comes great responsibility" has been spoken millions of times in the last 50 years. Those with power may not always live like it, but you can bet they've heard it.

And even though it was a startling new thought to me 50 years ago, and one that shaped my thinking forever, the concept is not new. It has been around a very long time. Why, even Socrates exhorted those in power to "Rule worthy of might."

So, I'm pretty sure King David had been exposed to the concept. I think not abusing one's power easily falls under "love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18 NIV). Yet, he egregiously abused his power by arranging Uriah's death to cover up his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, so egregiously that God responded by condemning David's family to generations of violence, from within and without.

Compared to a king, most of us possess very little worldly power. But power need not be at the royal level to qualify as great. If we reflect for a moment, we can probably think of someone over whom we do exercise great power: the power of love, of acceptance, of friendship, of charity, of encouragement, of joy, of prayer, of freedom.

You do have great power. Use it responsibly.


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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt

Proper 13 (18) (August 5, 2012)
2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:13a
Psalm 51:1-12
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
Psalm 78:23-29
Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:24-35

Join us Friday if you can. We're still meeting at Cafe Cappuccino (downtown Waco on 6th, near the Courthouse) at 8:00 a.m., eating a delicious breakfast and kicking around thoughts on this week's scriptures.

Bring your own web-shooter ;-)

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Rule Number 8

Photo by Stephen Orr

Rule Number 8
(a brief-ish Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

I don't know how much attention you pay to the internal workings of today's companies.  It is one of the things that seems to have been a significant part of my life for several decades.  I am fascinated by how they work, how they function and dysfunction, how they succeed, and how they fail.  I am particularly drawn to the company philosophies, both formal and informal; as well as those that live out an unacknowledged philosophy.  All companies have them, it's just that some companies don't know they have them.  This fascination is one of the reasons I loved reading "Good To Great" by Jim Collins and crew.

Lately, I've been looking at companies referenced in a book entitled "The Definitive Drucker" (about Peter Drucker, "the father of modern management"); an absolute goldmine of information put together by Elizabeth Haas Edersheim (who was granted unprecedented access to Mr. Drucker the last 16 months of his life, and then produced this book from their discussions).  Throughout the book, examples are presented from real companies.

And that's how I got to Google.

Google's philosophy has been encapsulated into 10 golden rules for operating their business.  You would not be surprised, I think, to learn Google encourages creativity or that they operate with considerable consensus-building, or even that almost every decision is driven by quantitative analysis.  These are but three of the key operating philosophies that guide the internet behemoth.  And when you think about it, they sound like what you would expect from Google.  However, you might be surprised to learn Rule Number 8.

Don't be evil.

The concept was first suggested at Google by employees Amit Patel and Paul Buchheit (the creator of Gmail).  Buchheit said he "wanted something that, once you put it in there, would be hard to take out."  It went on to appear in Google's 2004 IPO prospectus in a letter from Google's founders (it became known as the "Don't Be Evil" manifesto).  The letter stated: "Don't be evil.  We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served --- as shareholders and in all other ways --- by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short term gains."

It should be no surprise to find that Google CEO Eric Schmidt (now Executive Chairman) included it in his "10 Golden Rules for Knowledge Workers" as Rule Number 8.  Schmidt said, "Much has been written about Google's slogan, but we really try to live by it, particularly in the ranks of management."

I've been told that Kurt Kaiser once said, "You can live your entire life by a wonderful lyric" (Kurt, did you say that?).  I really LIKE that, and I can see how it can be true.  For me, that lyric might be "I will stand by you" from the song by The Pretenders.  But I can see how a motto could work the same way.  Frankly, I think "Don't Be Evil" is hard to beat as a motto.  For me, it ranks right up there with the Hippocratic Oath and Sun Tzu's "The best battle is the battle won without being fought."

For all of that, it is not a new idea.  Yes, it is surprising (and quite nice) to see a corporation put it out there for everyone to see (and to judge them by).  But the concept has been around a very long time.  For example, I am pretty sure David was aware of it.

You know, we're all weak in one way or another; many ways, really.  The Bible clearly states that we all fall short (<-- "sin" means "to miss the target").  King David apparently had some weakness when it came to beautiful women; thus, his seduction of Bathsheba and his accumulation of wives.

But there's weakness and then there's evil.  David crossed over when he sent Bathsheba's husband back to the front lines carrying his own death sentence.

Don't be evil.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt

Proper 12 (17) (July 29, 2012)
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Psalm 14
2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalm 145:10-18
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21

Join us if you can on Friday morning.  As is our practice, we will be at Cafe Cappuccino (downtown Waco, on 6th near the Courthouse) at 8:00 to discuss this week's scripture passages and to scarf down some great food.

The pancakes are not evil; however, they are really, really big!  ;-)

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Mad Men

Mad Men
(a brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Even if you haven't seen it, you have probably heard about the television show called, "Mad Men." This dark drama focuses on a fictional advertising firm in the 1960s; has won numerous awards; is chock full of unethical, morally bankrupt characters; and has a protagonist so complex and tragic, Shakespeare would fight to get his name on the credits.

[On the off chance you are interested in my opinion, here is my take on the show. First, it isn't uplifting; so keep that in mind when deciding whether to watch it. Unless you can remember the '60s (or at least lived THROUGH the '60s, even if you can't remember it all), you probably won't have the historical anchoring to put it in perspective. Without it, your viewing experience may be more like what Roger Ebert said about "The Wild Bunch": bad people we know doing bad things to bad people we don't know. Yes, it is trainwreck-fascinating, well written, and extremely well acted; but don't go there if you are looking for something uplifting. It's more "MacBeth" or "Hamlet" than "Much Ado About Nothing." On the other hand, it IS morally instructive ;-) ]

But, I digress.

With the success of Mad Men has come a renewed attention to the advertising business. People are once again thinking about the whys and wherefores of how some people get other people to think a certain way about a specific thing. And "branding" is key to that understanding.

In the 1960s (see the connection?), the top two soft drinks sold in the world were Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola, in that order. And, despite many attempts by many advertising firms, no one could crack that block. In fact, no one could even come close . . . until 1967.

In that year, 7Up launched an advertising campaign that is still talked about among advertising practitioners and is still taught in many schools for its unique approach to solving a serious branding concern called, "top of mind awareness" (TOMA); i.e. how to position a product so high up in the mind of a consumer that they just naturally think of the product with little or no prompting. Using ideas pioneered by Jack Trout and Al Reis (see "Positioning:The Battle for Your Mind"), 7Up launched its new advertising campaign. Instead of trying to break into the top tier of the "cola" position, 7Up did something brilliant: created a NEW position, the UNcola position. And promptly claimed the top spot by declaring their product THE uncola.

7Up gained its TOMA because it refused to play the game on the same playing field as colas. Instead of being stuck several rungs down on the cola "ladder" in the minds of consumers, 7Up made its own ladder and immediately occupied the top rung. They sold a lot of 7Up.

Which brings us to David.

As we saw in last week's reading, after God rejected Saul as King of Israel, God chose the LAST person any contemporary would have picked for King, if they had thought of David at all, something which his own father failed to do when the Prophet Samuel told him to gather his sons for God's anointing. Until prompted by Samuel, Jesse apparently forget he even HAD another son. Or maybe Jesse had ruled out David as a likely candidate. David was the runt, the youngest, the smallest. The UNking.

And this continues when it comes to fighting Israel's enemies in this week's reading. No one thinks of David when Goliath taunts the armies of Israel. David isn't a warrior. He's the shepherd boy. But God had a different idea. Isn't that just like God? No one was thinking about David as a solution to their giant problem. He just wasn't top-of-mind when it came to that brand. And there was already a King, who, as far as the people knew, was God's anointed.

Most of us know about David and his five smooth stones (though I bet you don't recall that David RAN TOWARD Goliath while winding up for the pitch . . . Awesome). So we know God uses David to defeat Israel's most dangerous enemy, making David the hero of the battle. And shortly thereafter, God makes him the hero of EVERY battle.

The UNking becomes top of mind. And that's how God does it.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 7 (12) (June 24, 2012)
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49
Psalm 9:9-20
Or
1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 18:10-16
Psalm 133

Job 38:1-11
Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Mark 4:35-41

For more reading on 7Up's brilliant campaign, see "the UN COLA advertisement campaign by 7up: a master stroke to change the competitive space itself" by Paritosh Kashyap on his MANAGEMENT GURU blog at http://themanagmentguru.blogspot.com/2009/11/un-cola-advertisement-campaign-by-7up.html