Monthly Archives: June 2019

“Of Heroes and Villains”

On June 4, 2019 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I had an interesting email exchange with my twelve-step sponsor today.  It was provoked by my daily affirmation, which goes as following:

“Today, by God’s grace, I am taking life in stride.  I can do this because I know who I am in Christ, and because I am gradually becoming the man God wants me to be.”

My sponsor replied with the following words:

“So, should we call you Strider in Gods path?”

I, however, tend to identify with “Gollum.” The difference is that I have repented and continue to do so.

When I wrote this bit about Gollum to my sponsor, he shot back with, “I think of you more as The Great Eagle. Power, strength, and loyalty.”

While I thanked him for his kind and affirming words, I think that it is best to identify with all the characters in really good stories, in one way or another, at one time or another.  We play (as Shakespeare noted long ago) many different parts in our lifetime.

I had a preaching professor who said, “You should never identify with the heroes of the Bible, until you have first identified with the villains.”  I think he was right.

On the other hand, we can (and should) choose to identify with the “good guys” as much as possible—provided that we are actually doing what they would do.

But my sponsor had the last word.  He asked me when I was going to stop identifying with the villains, and give myself permission to soar with the Eagles. He added, “You are what you think about most of the time.”

Why don’t I identify more with the heroes?  I think part of it is that I know that I have great powers of self-deception.  Do I dare to think of myself as a hero, or even to think of myself in a kind manner?

But I do take my sponsor’s point seriously.  Thinking too much about one’s weaknesses or “villain-nesses” does not make one a saint.

I need to give this some serious thought and prayer.  After all, you don’t have a twelve-step sponsor, just so that you can ignore him or her.

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“A Better Story”

On June 2, 2019 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

Sunday, June 2, 2019

My affirmation for today is as follows: “Today, by God’s grace, I am showing consistent interest and care for the lives, needs, thoughts, and stories of others.  This interest and care enriches my own life, needs, thoughts, and story.”

For too much of my life, I have been the central character in my story.  And that makes it a very thin plot.  The characterization isn’t particularly compelling, either.  It is time for God and other people to play bigger, more important roles.  I would like to make more of a cameo appearance.

Jesus is the most important character.  He has all the best lines, and most dramatic actions.

But many others have vital roles as well.  Twelve-step friends, church friends, students and colleagues at the university where I teach, our neighbors, my sweet wife—all these and many more are vital to the story line.

I am a writer.  But my magnum opus is not my blogs or the short stories and books I’m working on.  It is not my scholarly articles or books that are in my mind and will one day (hopefully) be on paper.  No, my great work is my life.

And the dedicatory page will say To Jesus and to Many Others. 

And the subtitle of the dedication will read With Profound Gratitude for Letting me be Part of Your Story.

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