sad face

My Two New Office Mates

Fierless and Pearl

Sometimes I just miss Arizona sunsets

Further thoughts on my letter to Steve Jobs

 1) I think my letter was lacking in grace and, consequently, love. How would my tone have changed if I were standing in front of Mr. Jobs appealing to him in person? Would he have heard any love? Would he have seen grace? Or would my words have been a "clanging gong"?

2) As I was reading through Romans 8 (versus 31 - 39), I found myself reading and re-reading verse 36 - "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." This passage that talks about God's position being one where He will never leave or lose us and our position as sheep losing life. Verse 36 is not a pleasant verse for me and I must admit that I too often gloss over it when reading this (favorite) passage.

I am a Christian. I follow a "King who died for His enemies and forgave his foes". He also cleaned out the temple and challenged the Samaritan woman at the well. As His follower I need to be ready to show that same kind of love and truth, albeit at the level of a fallen human. Can I simultaneously challenge people, including Mr. Jobs, on their reasoning and positions and show the love and grace that God extends?

I would challenge my fellow Christians to wrestle with ideas and stand up for truth while applying a large dose of humility and love (of which my letter lacked).  I would also challenge them to never lose sight of the fact that we are "sheep heading for slaughter" who are never out of the Hands of our loving, seeing Father.

My letter to Mr. Jobs

 Mr. Jobs,

I am writing this from my MacBook Pro which I love very much. I recently purchased it and it is a joy to use. Your product line is stellar and worthy of commendation.

However, your intolerant stance on applications that can and cannot be added into your universe of Apple ingenuity is not so stellar.

You are of the mind that you are standing for tolerance by limiting applications of certain "cultural and or ethnic" (such as the Manhattan Declaration), but, using basic logic, your "tolerant" stance immediately makes you intolerant of whomever your are standing up against. You are not tolerant after all.

Are you also limiting iPhone applications of other "cultural or ethnic" groups whose basic religious beliefs is make to war and kill those who would oppose their religious beliefs? The religion you are currently targeting is a following whose King died for His enemies and forgave his foes. Consider whom your tolerance or intolerance is against and reconsider being a bit more open-minded to all "cultural or ethnic" entities who desire to use your stellar products.

Sincerely,
Krista McCaleb

Theology of Death

Continuing the thought in this post, what is your "Theology of Death"?

Death is something we were never designed to deal with. It was not in God's original plan and is the result of the curse brought about by sin. The entire earth is affected by it and it permeates every layer of life, including the non-physical. 

As Christians, our theology needs to be proactive, prepared ahead of time, not reactionary. We must think ahead of time what our reaction to trouble and death will be, what God will expect from us, and what God has promised us.

Some thoughts on this:

• This world is broken and there is ugliness all around. But God is the Great Healer and He is on the move. 
• Revelation is true and He will return and make all things new. 
• God delights in the death of His saints (Psalm 116:15). This verse seems somewhat contradictory, but it points to the reality that He delights when we are in fellowship with Him and what better place to be in fellowship than directly in His presence? 
• Death is a stark reality - one that we cannot avoid. 
• We will never fully understand death and it will always be a "familiar stranger". 
• When our work is done, He will take us home to be with Him. In this, we should find comfort. "I am immortal until God's work for me is done. The Lord reigns." Henry Martyn
• We know not when our death will be, so even in this we must trust in Him. 

That word trust is key here. Trust that He knows what He is doing in every layer of our lives and the lives of everyone around us. Trust that His timing is perfect and purposeful. Trust that He is redeeming all the ugliness in this broken world.

Since death is and will be a stark reality in all of our lives, we must think ahead of time what our theology of death is. Let us wrestle with it now so that when we face it in our lives or the lives of those around us, we can stand on the foundation of our theology and trust in God.

Suggested resource: Beauty Will Rise CD by Steven Curtis Chapman

Trainwreck by Mat Kearney

I'm past the point of returning
For you I'm ruined and broken
There is no way of me turning
You've got my heart in the open

I see it shrink in the distance
In the glow of your glory
And I never will miss this
Bottom line of the story
I see the ocean come crashing
Under lavender skies
 
I see clouds come flashing
Now tell me, who am I?
Your're the air that I'm breathing
While I'm lying there sleeping
You're the cool of the evening
Now you got me believing,
Singing...

CHORUS:
Trainwreck, I'm a trainwreck for
Trainwreck, I'm a trainwreck
Trainwreck. I'm a trainwreck for
You (Oh lord. yes I am) x2

I'll kiss it all with a farewell
Goodbye, how you doing
And let it echo in stairwells
All these songs of my ruin

Now watch me climb my own cross
Without a loss for these words
As I motion a moment's silence
Let it fly with the birds

All else I got without you
Is mucha ado about nothing
I'd rather stand by you gone
Than on the throne of another

You had me all from the start
I count it lost every part
I'll sing it out in the dark
You've got a grip on my heart

(CHORUS) X4

Where could I turn from you
The darkest nights, you know you'd find a way
What else have I to do
What words are there left to say
You are the air that I breathe in
Here is my heart I give
You are all of my reason
You are my reason to live