Be thou my vision
Vision unites. Di-vision partitions.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart. (Dallan Forgaill)
So far as I can tell, the words 'vision' and 'division' have no shared root. But these two similar-sounding words say so much about where we place our faith and how we so easily jump the tracks.
Vision is about sight—the kind of sight that orients and drives us; sight that shapes our imaginations and guides our feet. Vision unites. Jesus, Be Thou my Vision.
Division is about partition. It's about organizing around something less than vision.
Jesus and the basics of faith unite believers. Doctrines, opinions, and perceptions separate us into tribes. Like the nation of Israel—for a while, a united nation with God as their King, yet organized into twelve tribes. At one point, division became more important than vision and Israel and Judah lost connection.
Isn't it the same today? Our tribalism—our organization around preferences, favorite doctrines, our opinions, and our perceptions—defines us more than a Uniting Vision: our shared identity and shared citizenship in the Kingdom.
Jesus, Be Thou my Vision.
Mind Games
The way hackers and bots manipulate us through Social Media should should us how easy it is for the Enemy to deceive us. Beware!
“I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.”
Testimony at recent Congressional hearings confirmed that Russia has been using social media to 'sow discord' in the American public. By many accounts these efforts have been quite effective—inflaming passions on every side of sensitive issues.
C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters and Sun Tzu's The Art of War show how enemies can be defeated through deception, distraction, and demoralization—the very weapons Satan employs.
Christians, though, are told to put on the full armor of God to stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6). We are to be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). And we are to take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), striving side-by-side for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27).
The Church—of all people—should be immune to manipulation and mind games waged by foreign governments, political parties, news outlets, marketers, and Satan himself.
A cheap copy
Too often, the Church presents itself as a cheap copy of the real thing. Where’s the grace? Where’s the life? Where’s the love?
All my years in Industry, I was fortunate to work for innovative companies. When other companies made knockoffs, they made knockoffs of our products. The cheaper copies mostly worked and solved an immediate problem. But buyers of copies missed out on relationship with people who knew why the products worked and how they worked—with people who could innovate the next solution too.
For centuries, the church has been pushing a cheap copy of the Kingdom on the surrounding culture. Those who 'buy in' may lead better lives—less drama, fewer train wrecks. But they miss out on relationship with the One who knows why and how things work. They miss out on relationship with the Source of life and love and forgiveness and hope.
When interacting with our culture, we choose: hard sell the cheap copy—rules, rituals, and good advice—or invite people into the real thing.
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