Understanding Life by the Puzzle of it All

  Some people like puzzles, specifically jigsaw puzzles where the pieces have tabs and blanks. Tabs are the little protrusions that cause a piece to connect with it's neighbor, blanks are the indentions that allow a puzzle piece to receive connection from it's neighbor. Each puzzle piece has been created with it's own structure of tabs and blanks, and it has a place to form a picture, and yet, when it's all said and done, it's just pretty cardboard.....

  I believe that we Christians are God's puzzle pieces. We have tabs and blanks to, but, we are divinely inspired, so we can move around in the puzzle, and change the picture, we can also slightly modify our tabs and blanks, in order to mesh with the pieces we find ourselves with at a given time. The humans who are not born again, are like little squares, they are out there, they can lineup with each other, and it remains up to them if they want to live as a square or not. If they decide to receive Christ, they are to be gladly welcomed into the puzzle, and even if they are only a puzzle piece on one side, they are still needed, for the border, and as time passes, and they shape into a full piece, they can be replaced by a new border piece, for it is not how you look to the spectators that saves you, it is who you belong to that saves you. 

  Humans are meant for this relational dynamic, Satan, as the God of this world, desperately wants you to embrace hierarchy. The temptation in business is there, for, if you are the king pin, with many minions below you, you can probably pay them enough to keep them working and sit on your throne scraping the cream off for your self. In churches, and politics, there is an unholy desire for power, and control, that the devil would love to have you align with. Leaders in the kingdom, leaders as God intended are designed for the relational dynamic. In the next paragraph we will look at just a few of the ways the puzzle is divinely inspired and self sustaining by the way the Spirit of God weaves through the pieces and touches the world of squares out there. However, for now, let's say that leaders are those who are very active in the art of puzzle building, and repairing puzzle pieces. This activity gets recognized in the form of ordination in Church, which is to be a recognition of God given leadership abilities, not a king making exercise. This activity can get recognized in business by the way such people become boss, or manager etc. In business, however it is more apt that enduring success goes to the managers who are willing to work within the realties of the relational nature of human beings, weather they be squares or pieces. Squares after all, still want to be with other squares, to form a picture of their own, which basically has to do with the business they are engaged in, and the hobbies they want money for, and not so much for the kingdom of God.. The picture is not as interconnected and strong as the kingdom picture with the puzzle pieces but it is still there.  

  God's puzzle is ever growing, and because it is interwoven, and bound together by the Holy Spirit it is very strong, it has pictures all over, based on where you look on the puzzle, you will see a beauty that is different and yet it rhymes. A picture of a giraffe on an African plain is different from the picture of a red stag in forested Germany or a running wolf pack on the frozen tundra of Siberia, and yet the majesty is the same from the same Creator, and so it is with the Kingdom puzzle. There are those pieces who are quite rigid, and influence the pieces interlocked with them to conform, and when led by the Spirit of God, this is good, for it keeps the shape of and the color of the picture in it's area true. There are those pieces who are versatile and can plug with and adapt to almost any other piece, and when led by the Spirit, this is good to, for it keeps the relational connections strong, and it is the sum total of these connections that makes the picture strong, this connective ability moves the Kingdom from a collection of squares to a strong interwoven masterpiece. Then there are those pieces who when connected to other pieces, will help the other piece, they will clean dirt off the other piece, and repair torn tabs and blanks from abrasive relationships with other torn pieces so the colors can show better, and the piece can connect more fully within the picture, however when led by the Spirit they will not repaint the piece for the colors are given by God. There are those who will stretch the picture, they will sometimes glom onto a new picture even and stretch that, they bring new pieces, they complete the picture by bringing new pieces into the corners and they provide a lot of the border pieces. There are even those pieces who leave the edge of the border, and they start a new picture outside the puzzle, this breaks the borders, and claims a lot of new area, and a lot of new pieces for the kingdom puzzle. New pieces come in, and fill the spaces, the old border and corner pieces have grown and moved in, new pieces take their places.  

  Like all analogies, this one has its flaws, but, to make sense of God, and why he created man, I think it is important to embrace the beauty, the mystery, the big picture, and to accept at some level, the created cannot fully understand it's Creator. Embrace the fact that your one small colorful and very important piece, allow God to direct your movements within His puzzle, and even outside as he leads you to minister to squares, and to expand the borders. Also allow God either through you or by the other pieces He brings into your life to repair you, where you might have gotten torn or dirty. 

Franco-Prussian War and Romans 12:2 The Intellect (Part 2)

 

  The story below is fictionalized but the main events in it are true to the best of my knowledge. 

  Otto Von Bismarck, the chancellor of Prussia had a lot on his mind. He was now basically the first chancellor of Germany, Many German states had unified under Prussian leadership due to events we covered in part 1. I will now begin to refer to Prussia as Germany, the creation of Germany is not yet complete but Bismarck's country is now bigger than just Prussia. There were some states between France and Germany, German speaking states who Bismarck wanted to add to this collection that makes up Germany. How to get them though? Well, he could easily take them by force, but, that wouldn't do because there would then be tension. Their would be a risk of civil war. No, he needed them to join Germany voluntarily, but, life was decent in these states, so why would they change? The best way he saw it was for them to feel threatened by something scary. France came to mind, France was regarded as the mightiest power in Europe, to find a mightier power, it was thought you had to go to Britain or Russia. So, if France was angry at Germany, and if France initiated a war, these German states would automatically gravitate to Germany for protection. So, Otto needed a war, a war that France started. How to get such a war? He waited for an opportunity to provoke France. Meanwhile, he brought in General Helmut Von Moltke, and tasked him with planning, dealing with France was no small thing after all. General Von Moltke was a genius, he got detailed maps of France and Germany, he studied train schedules, and he rethought tradition in terms of how to organize an army. With a good grasp of terrain, train schedules, and train track locations, he was very efficient with coordinating army movements. He redesigned the army placements, he organized infantry into small fighting units instead of one big mass. His small fighting units, or platoons, could surround and attack a large enemy army from all sides, causing confusion. He also put a heavy emphasis on artillery, both in terms of having the best cannons and in terms of placing it close enough to do serious damage. Now back to Bismarck, when Spain wanted a new crown to replace their queen, he promoted a man of Prussian nobility, this would have surrounded France with Germany on one side and a German ally on the other. This man was never made king of Spain, but, France was quite aggravated by the ordeal. They sent an ambassador to the king of Germany to ask him not to do this again. The king allowed Otto to publish a copy of the conversation, so Otto carefully edited it in order to make the French think they were insulted by the German king, and to make the Germans think their king was insulted by the French ambassador. It worked, France was now spoiling for a fight. 

  Napoleon III and his generals thought that with France's track record, this would be a walk to Berlin, he would shut this whole German thing down and make it part of France or at least an obedient ally. He also thought that the German states would let him liberate them. In some cases generals forgot or didn't bother packing maps on the French side. they lunged straight into Germany, full of confidence, and right into the trap that the German leadership had laid for them. napoleon's entire army was surrounded and captured. Even Napoleon III was captured. The French people tried to organize a new government to beat back the German onslaught, but it didn't work, the Germans' seized Paris. The French side's confidence, and lack of thought stood in a stark contrast to the Germans, it wasn't as much a lack of intelligence on the French side as it was a lack of willingness to use intelligence due to overconfidence. The small German states had sided with Prussian led Germany during this conflict, and now, they decided to stay, and the Germany we know today was born. To be clear, the government of this Germany has changed several times since then due to world wars, but, Germany, as an idea, exists at least partially because of Otto Von Bismarck and his careful, deceitful, cunning, and controlled intellect. Some of the credit also goes to the very thoughtful, analytical General Helmut Von Moltke. Napoleon III and his government got the blame for his government's lack of thought and his capture as well. France scrubbed his government, and once Germany let them, started over with a new government. This was also the only time that France took on Germany without Britain's help. This has been the story of the Franco-Prussian war from the intellectual point of view, as I see it. It lasted for only a bit over 6 months. 

For the Christian, intellect, is one of the 3 parts of the renewed mind Paul speaks of in Romans 12:2. Although thinking hard won Otto and Helmut the war, and they had a lot of worldly power but it did cost a lot of lives, involved a lot of deception, and I am not advocating for it. Both of these men still died, and at their death, no power, what after all, was the point? 

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

The answer is surrender actually, to God, let Him take over your intellect, like Peter did. Peter was a fisherman, not formally educated, but, when he sold out, he sold out. He was seized by the Holy Spirit, and authorities marveled, at his boldness in the way he spoke to them. (Acts 4) I wonder, if when you get to heaven, and you ask Peter if it was worth it, what would he say?

-Loren

Franco-Prussian War and Romans 12:2 (Part 1)

Background on the Prussian Side:

  Prussia was a small German speaking nation that typically had been able to produce some great military might considering its small size. This was demonstrated in the Seven Years war, when Prussian had managed to entertain most of  Europe's armies that were involved and thus freed up Britain, it's ally at the time, to conduct war overseas. Americans know of this war as the French and Indian War, and a young British-American by the name of George Washington gained some recognition during it. The British-Prussian Alliance won this actual first world war. Now, let's fast forward to the 1800s, after Napoleon was through with his rampage in Europe. Otto Von Bismarck was very much a Prussian, maybe a Christian to, but definitely a Prussian, he wanted the best for Prussia, and his idea of the best was for nearly all the small German speaking nations to unite under Prussian leadership. Thing was, Otto found himself in big positions of leadership, and he found himself with a brilliant mind for political strategy. He also found himself having a general named Helmut Von Moltke. General Von Moltke was a military genius. So, this means Otto has the resources and power to put his ideas to the test. First Prussia talked Austria into helping them war with Denmark, they beat Denmark and took 3 states from them. Then, there were sweet talks had with Italy, and an agreement was made that if Italy were to attack Austria at the same time Prussia did, they would get a couple of areas they wanted. Around this time, someone attempted to assassinate Bismarck, but he escaped serious injury. The alliance was successful, Prussia got 8 different land areas that it wanted, including Austria's winnings from Denmark. Now, Prussia is looking a lot like the modern Germany we know. In fact, they renamed themselves, the name was the North German Confederation. This new country was now large enough, to rival France as the greatest power in all of Europe. There was an ever increasing sense of tension between the 2 powers, and Bismarck was ready, because, their was land to be had. In between "New Germany" and France was land, filled with German speaking people who just needed a little nudge, to encourage them to align with one of the 2 big Giants in Europe, Bismarck needed France to give that nudge, just enough to push these little countries towards the "loving arms" of his new Prussian led Germany.

Background on the French Side:

  France is a very old country, and had been respected as a major power in the affairs of Europe. During the American Revolution, it weighed in on the side of the patriots, without France, America probably would have lost. After this, France had it's own revolution, and overthrew it's own king. It's revolution was quite complicated and I won't discuss it here, but from the other side, Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power, and he had tremendous military genius. He went on a lot of rampages through Europe and it took several coalitions of various nations to finally bring down Napoleon. Various factors like this led to France being widely regarded as a great, if not the greatest power on the European continent. It was an empire, under the leadership of Napoleon's nephew Napoleon III from 1850 until 1870, Napoleon III looked up to his uncle, and he so desperately wanted to follow in his footsteps, he overthrew the French republic and restored the French empire with himself as emperor. The Crimean war started as a result of Russian aggression on a weak Ottoman Empire, France and Britain for reasons of general aggression decided to get involved on the side of the Ottoman Empire, and they beat Russia. This added to France's perceived grandeur and started the friendship of France and Britain that would come into play in the world wars in the distant future. A few years after the Crimean war, some people tried to assassinate Napoleon III but failed, the conspirators had thrown bombs at his carriage, for some reason the bombs did not hurt Napoleon III or his wife but killed some members of his escort, and some bystanders and wounded quite a few others. Napoleon III thought it would be good to help with Italian unification, The small Italian kingdom of Sardinia wanted certain states from Austria and so did France, so they defeated Austria and took it, about ten years before Prussia did something very similar to Austria with Italian allies. As time passed, Napoleon III took note of the new German nation forming in Europe, and he didn't like it, not one bit. His power was threatened as he saw it, and something needed to be done to prevent this from getting out of hand.  

Romans 12:2 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Mind translates to a Greek word that probably more accurately means your entire operating system. In modern English, some people call it your soul. Basically, mind includes these 3 things. 1. Intellect, powers of reason 2. Emotion, including feelings, and 3. Will, resolve, determination etc. So, your not being asked to make yourself think like God, your asked to allow yourself to be transformed to think what God wants you to think, and not just think, but allow God's thinking, God's feelings, and God's will to take over. So I don't know how all this will tie together, but, I would like to see how this looks when God takes over a person. I would also like to see the roles that intellect, emotion, and will played in the upcoming war. So, the 2 backgrounds, were to set the stage, the little lecture above also was to set the stage. This is only Part 1.

-Loren

Living Loved or Feeling Worked

  

  By a brook somewhere near the Jordan river sat a man. This man looked to have nothing, there was no roof over his head, and there was no U-Haul full of belongings in sight, just clothes on his back and possible a satchel of belongings. However, he was a prophet named Elijah, and God had told him to come here for a time, so while he was here, he drank from the brook, the water was ok. Ravens brought him bread, and meat. So he had all he needed. (1 Kings 17:1-6) 

  Thousands of years later....John Doe sits in his recliner, he has a roof over his head, he has a fridge and a freezer full of food, a tv on the wall, where he can watch football or Nascar on the weekends. Outside he has a grill, and a big beautiful yard. John Doe is plugged into the local economy with a solid day job, so he has things to do, things that keep him healthy, work, productive activities that stimulate his mind and give him a sense of belonging. He turns a faucet and fresh clean water comes out into his glass. He can go to his ice box and chill it if he wants, or he can put it in his coffee maker and get a little energy kick. Ultimately it's because of a good God, who meeting his basic needs for food and drink, also went ahead and gave him things he wants, and things to do, to keep his body and mind sharp and active. John Doe doesn't have to deal with boredom or all the problems that come with an idle mind. So, God has been good, but as John Doe sits on the recliner tonight at 6pm in his time zone, what's on his mind? "Oh God, I hate my job." 

  It looks to me like John Doe should be a fictional character, but this AM, it came to my attention that in some ways, I was John Doe. Note, I said "was", that is the gift of repentance, also from God. I don't know what to call this entry, but, I went with a thing of perspective, "Living Loved" means, I see what God is doing for me, and I am loved exceedingly. "Feeling worked" means, I see my need to work to maintain all this stuff in my life, and if I stop then what? Living Loved has God in the center, meeting needs, giving things that I should be content without. "Feeling worked" has me in the center, I am working because I got to survive and keep up with the Jones's if possible....

Crown of Thorns

 

 A young Napoleon Bonaparte showed himself to be a military genius with his various conquests. He then positioned himself as advantageously as he could to seize the maximum power avail. organized a huge assembly in the Notre Dame Cathedral in France. The pope was there with a crown, a crown that would signify Napoleon as the emperor of France. Napoleon entered the cathedral, he allowed the pope to anoint him with oil, but then he took the crown from the pope and crowned himself. It is thought that this was to demonstrate how he saw himself, as a man of ultimate authority in France, not taking any orders, or guidance from the Pope or anyone else. For Napoleon, with his crown of emperor, he would claim all the accolades for success. This started off a long bloody period, where most of Europe was at war with Napoleon at some point. Even Russia got involved. Various different alliances were formed in an effort to defeat Napoleon, and eventually it all came to a head, Napoleon was held captive by the british, and France needed to move on. Who then took the blame for the failure? Napoleon did. He attempted suicide, it didn’t work, and he was stowed off on an island and kept there for the rest of his life because it was deemed that he was to dangerous a man to be allowed back into France. There were many things that transpired to bring Napoleon to this point, but to get through all of that would take days, so I won’t. I want to pivot and talk about someone else now. 

 Another being, one who already has power, enough power to speak all things into existence, and the power to fashion humans from dirt; a being who has authority over time, and is not bound by it in any way decided to come in Human form and receive a crown. He received a crown of thorns, pressed into his skull, searing pain, probably even into the brain. With angels looking on all around, and the ultimate power to torch the whole universe with just one word, he accepted the crown voluntarily. A crown that contained pain, represented shame, and defeat. This being wore his crown to his death. He didn’t stay dead though, because his name was, and still is Jesus Christ.

 Which crown do you want to wear? Do you want a crown of worldly power? Do you want a crown of pain? Do you want a crown that makes you look good or do you want a crown that kills the human and lets God show up? 

 

Something More Valuable than Success

 

Franz Stigler sat at an airport base, he was a fighter pilot for Germany, and it was world war 2. Franz was an ace, he had been credited with 27 victory points. Some of these were 4 engine American bombers, which pay 3 victory points each because of how well defended they were and how hard they were to knock out of the sky. Franz had not gone home with his squad, he had landed here for fuel. He was only 3 points away from the prestigious Knight's cross award. He wanted to get back up there and knock out another bomber. Even though there was a bullet in his plane's radiator, he would go back up.

 Charlie Brown sat in his cockpit, fiddling with his throttles, he was an American bomber pilot, flying a 4 engine bomber plane called Ye Old Pub. He had gotten separated from his squad and then German fighters had ganged up on him. He knocked down a few of them but they had riddled his plane with bullet holes and destroyed the tail section. Only one engine was running right, one engine was dead, and the other 2 were hit and miss. The tail gunner had died when his section was destroyed. Most of the guns were out of action. Another gunner was bleeding and needed medical attention. Then another bullet came and knocked out the oxygen supply. Charlie and his co pilot passed out. Ye Old Pub went into a dive. Down went the pub, below the clouds, 10'000, 9'000, 8'000, 7'000, 6'000, 5000....and at some point, with oxygen rich air Charlie regained consciousness, he woke his copilot and they fought the controls. The Pub leveled off just in time as it's engines blew the leaves from the trees. The German people in the town just below gazed up at them in amazement. His navigator found the closest course to England and the wounded pub flew along, low to the ground and very slow, right over an airport base. 

  Franz Stigler's plane was just about finished when suddenly, an American bomber roared just overhead! Franz jumped in and took off. He caught up with the plane and saw the bomber with the words Ye Old Pub on it's front. He saw the nose section was shot up and open to the outside, he saw the sides had so many bullet holes in it that he could see through it and see the crew attending to their wounded. He saw the tail section was destroyed, the gunner there was dead, he saw one of the rear wings was shot off. He flew alongside the Pub and their wings overlapped, he looked in at the pilots, they stared back like they new their time had come. Something welled up in Franz, he found himself unable to shoot. He tried to communicate with the pilots through hand signals, they refused to land and surrender. So he flew with the Pub, when they came to flak guns, he pulled out so that the German gunners on the ground could see his plane, and would hold their fire, it worked. He flew out into the Atlantic with the Pub. When an American gunner onboard the Pub, pointed a gun at him, he saluted, and left. 

  Franz went on to shoot down many more planes, but he stopped counting victory points, it no longer mattered. Now he was just trying to protect the German people from the bombs. He survived the war. Charlie flew more missions, and also survived the war. He never forgot the German and wondered why, why was he still alive? The men found each other, and Franz found in Charlie another brother, Franz's own brother had died in an accident while taking off in a German bomber. However now, late in life, in Charlie Brown who he had spared at a time when the American did not have any way of defending himself, he found another brother. 

You know, sometimes the things we do not do are just as valuable or even more so than the things we actually do.

-Loren

Source Material: A Higher Call -Adam Makos

At The Bar

  

John Parker sat at the bar, because it was fun. He wasn't supposed to be at the bar, he was on duty protecting a VIP. He took another drink, this was more like it, it was boring back there, they had put his VIP in a private room to watch a play, and he was expected to guard the door to that room for that entire play? No thanks, why, he couldn't even say the play from the door, and even if he could have, drinking was more fun. He looked around the room and saw other people at the bar. Were they off duty to? He didn't know, one of the people he recognized, this man was a famous actor, he seemed a little nervous somehow, not sure why. The actor got up and left. John Parker settled back down, ordered another drink, and mused on how strange and jumpy actors can be sometimes. 

  The actor had a plan, he believed in a cause, but it was beneath him to live and die in obscurity fighting for this cause. He had another idea. If carried out, this would shock the world, and possibly, hopefully make things happen again. Because, as things stood, his cause was lost. The actor was nervous, he fumbled into his pocket and felt something, still there, good. He ordered another drink, must have something to calm his nerves, he shakily sipped a little, looked at the clock, and felt in his pocket again, still there, good, he needed his derringer tonight, he saw someone at the bar who might have got in his way, he was relieved, this just got easier. He decides not to finish his drink, so he got up and left. His name was John Wilkes Booth. 

  Abraham Lincoln had a security detail. No one could get to him except by the door of his booth at the theater. The detail was working round the clock, and the play would happen during John Parker's shift. John wasn't regarded as the world's greatest cop, but, how hard could it be to just guard a door for a few hours anyway?

Source Material: Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln with some speculation thrown in for "texture." ;) 

-Loren