Have you ever hear any of Martin Luther Kings speeches?
The last few weeks I have been listening to some of his well known speeches. The "I have a dream" or "I've been to the mountain top" speech. This man had a passion! It's like nothing could stop him and even when the bullet did, his passion still goes on - amazing!

Listening to him you can hear what motivated him was the injustice he could see and experience.
But what seem to drive him was his relationship to God and his understanding of how God desired this world to be. It is up to us to see it happen. We have to be willing to do it - to live the way God desires - in loving relationships, with all people! And when that is not happening, then we need to stand up and say something. If everybody did that - wow!
Maybe I should get started...

I've discovered that I only think very short sighted, you know only think about what is happening right now or tomorrow. I never really think about the future 5, 10, 20 years from now. I guess it is because I always hear the future is today or we are to live life to the fullest or something like that. It's all about right now, enjoying life now and not thinking if there might be any consequences to what we do now. So I've decided I need to think more about the consequences. Things like what car do I drive? Is it polluting too much? Can I get a car that does not pollute so much? am I willing to offer what it cost to get a car that does not pollute so much? If not why not? This is just one area, there are many things I do that has long lasting consequences to my family, society, country and world!

But the problem I have found is, I'm not the only one that is very short sighted. The decision makers, politicians and corporate leaders. They all seem to make decision that are base on short term benefits.
How do we change the way we see things?
How do we change our focus from our self and what I can get from it now, to what is best for others, in the broadest sense of the word.

On another blog someone asked the people leaving the church, to please tell them why. I have been thinking a lot about that. I have not stopped going to church, even though I'm sometimes tempted.
The people I know, that have stop going to church, have not turn their backs to God, just the church! So God is not the problem and it is not the building. So what's left? The people! What's wrong with people? Does something happen to them when they come into a church? It sure look that way.
It seems to me that we think we have to be better than we really are to go to church. Even know we say in church we are all sinner, we still do not want anyone to think that I am a sinner. So we take our nice clothes on and our smiling faces and go to church and hope no one see through it all. Then if we do show our real self, we are shown a 5 point plan on how to get on the right track again!
Somehow we need to break this box we have put ourselves in and just be ourselves! Both ways - to be open to show who we really are and to not always have an answer, but just listen and be a friend - a brother or sister!

Something to listen to George Barna

What to do?
Nepal is a beautiful both the country and the people. But they are also one of the poorest countries in the world. When I talk to the people I meet and hear their stories about life in Nepal, I feel so helpless. I go there to teach about worldview and how our worldviews affects our societies. Not only affects, but changes our societies!

What is it that should be changed? Do I want that in 50 to 100 years Nepal to look like Denmark? NO!! So what is it? Well it is not the beauty, kindness and commitment that is part of them. But injustices, oppression of the poor, corruption in business and government.

The smartest thing the King could do, is invited the Maoist leaders into the government to be part of making a "New" Nepal. Then I would not be surprised, if within a short time they, the Maoist, would be just as corrupt as the rest of the people in power! Then the King can go on as before. And the "New" Nepal? - well that will have to wait. Or does it? Is there another way a better way?

What is THAT? There is a book I really want to read "Introducing Radical Orthodoxy: Mapping A Post-secular Theology" by James Smith. I'm not sure what it's about, but just the name sound interesting. I hope secularism is dead! I'm tried of having this talk in Christian circles about secular or spiritual. "I only have a secular job" like it is something bad or I should have been a missionary or something. Where would this world be if there was no one to do the "secular" jobs!?! That's probably not what the book is about ;-(

Ivan's blog is very good. I enjoy his openness. In his entry from Dec. 28 ´05, he talks about his relationship to the church. After reading I just thought "who cares about the church". We are lost in the way the church does it or should do it. Or better what we think the church should be, when we are there!! There, what is "There" some building - who cares!! We think people should act in a certain way when they are There. Let's drop the church and meet down at Café Borgen and talk about what life is all about and how we should live it.

But I still go to church. Why? My friends. For some of them it's the only time I get to see them! Relationships that's what it's all about.

I was listening to "Speaking of Faith", a radio program I download, not that long ago called "Evangelicals Out of the Box". One thing I have been thinking about over and over is something they said in the program "...evangelical Christian voices seem to emphasize private morality over public morality and social justice."

Yes, I should be good person, be kind to my wife & kids - honest at my job. Things that are close to me. There is a lot in the Bible that points that way like in Luke 6:31 "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." As I have written before here, if we all have good relationships with everyone, then this world would be a great place to live. But I'm so focus on the people right around me that I forget that there are others that are not so visible. People that need help in one way or the other. Is my responsibility only to my family and friends or does it extend to my neighborhood and society? I think to often "it's not my problem" or "what will they think". I need to get out of my privat little box and get more public.

I was just reading about how in Australia young people used sms's to rally people together against Muslims. It seems that SMS's are used in a lot of different ways to gather people together to protest or fight against something. What about gathering people together to do something good. In bigger cities have a SMS happening by taking food out to the homeless or cleaning up some part of a city that need a good cleaning!

There must be someway to use SMS to do something good instead of beating up Muslims!

I was at a friends house yesterday, enjoying newly made Christmas cookies and homemade candy. We started talking about how problems in families go from one generation to the other. A girl that has experience violence in the home will marry a man that is violent and even if she leaves him she will find another that is the same. In the same way a man that has experienced violence from his father will be that way when he becomes a father. We talk about how do they break out of that circle. The system in Denmark is that the State offers counseling ect. But it does not seem to work very well. Then my friend said they need a model, they need to see - live with a family that is happy. They will not learn how to be a good parents by just going to courses or counseling. But where are the families that will open their homes? Am I willing? Is my home an example to follow!

I've just been reading a young friends blog (Ivan) At the sametime I'm reading Finding Faith by Brian McLaren. I'm amazed how much alike the two are. The same type of questions Ivan and others on his blog write about, are the same questions Finding Faith trys to answer. I feel like I'm standing in the middel trying to understand both the questions and the answers. I'm also trying to understand how my own faith answers these questions too.

What is truth? Is there a God? If He is there, why does He not answer the prayers of His faithful followers when there is sickness or other needs? Why is the church so messed up? If we are really filled with the Holy Spirit, then why do we act so selfishly. Where have we gone wrong?

I believe there is a God, otherwise there would be no meaning to life. If we were created by chance with no purpose/reason, then there is no meaning. If God did create the World, then there must be some type of purpose. What that is - is another question.

What do you think?