Media Bias.

Just this week I happened across a radio talk show where a well know conservative reported his most recent evidence of media bias. In February there was a gruesome murder in which a man is suspected of beheading his wife. The discussion centered around how this story didn't get the head lines the conservative thought it should. The accused man is a Muslim and the founder of a TV station dedicated to changing the negative stereotypes of Muslims.
At face value beheading appears to be an oddity in our culture and seemed irrefutable evidence that the media is sympathetic to Muslims. Why did this story not merit the same attention as some "lesser evil" done by another?

As I understand it, news is when man bites dog, not when dog bites man. It is expected occasionally for a dog to bite a man, but unexpected for a man to bite a dog.
Is there another reason that the beheading wasn't considered newsworthy?
Media bias exists. Yet, what if media is biased in the opposite direction from what we are led to believe? I think it is possible that American media expects Muslims to behave badly, so a man beheading his wife is not news. In the same way, American media expects Christians to behave well, and when that expectation is not met, it is news.

It saddens me that Christianity as a religion has become a "don't do this" methodology. The religion gets the reputation it is promoting, then blames others when held accountable for what it promotes. What a disappointing distraction from the glorious Kingdom of God that Jesus was here to establish. How do I maintain focus on what I am called to do, while turning my back on issues that rob my time and keep my attention? Is the fact that the Kingdom of God exists -- while people are looking for something they have yet to see -- news all on its own?

Fear the final frontier

My life has been a rocket-ship of God moments. The phrase:  "somewhere between terror and exhilaration" seem to describe it best so far.  I shrink away from attempting to tell people about the emotions and experiences, because it is too much to tell and too hard to believe. 

Yesterday while hurtling toward heaven; I was at a meeting where a prophesy over a dying boy was fulfilled through the stumbling of three independent people. While at this meeting we heard and saw the power of God and we saw how He had used our attempts to follow Him.  I caught a glimpse of just how enormous the project is and how small we are in the scheme of things. One of my more pragmatic friends said the following of the meeting:  "That was the first time I understood the fear that you guys talk about." 

I am finding that in between Terror and Exhilaration is faith.

In the Bible there is a story about a mustard seed.  God says if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can move mountains. We are seeing mountains move all on their own. We are watching the living Creator God reveal Himself to and through His people. What an amazing time to be alive and in His service!

These ideas and events are way too big for any one of us. Even if there were tens of thousands of people involved we could not do what He is doing. The fear/terror comes from recognizing that we are not in control. The exhilaration comes from the realization that God is right here. The only power we have is over our ability to say, "Yes Lord".  Then that power is fulfilled as we put our weight behind the "Yes" and move.  It may be easier to move a mountain, than to move our hearts.  

Blind in Besthaida

I have been thinking about vision and focus for most of my life. I have over 20 years in optics and know the functions of light and lens. For the past 11 years I have been helping people through Touched Twice United. It is a movement based on how Jesus helped the blind man from Bethsaida in Mark 8. 

Here some people believe that Jesus has the power to heal. Heal blind eyes and broken lives. 

Some people think that Jesus has the power to fix the unfixable.  Some people believe. 

As I sit here today it seems as if the majority of people believe that the government has that power. I feel as we are no longer slipping away, but we are running. 

I once was blind. I was unable to see as my lens for viewing the world was just that, mine.  I was singularly concerned about me. I would see people bent and distorted just as I was. I would project my bent everywhere I looked and then was affirmed based on my blindness. I found myself helpless and hopeless. I was facing the loss of my father, the loss of a marriage and the loss of my perception of control. I was lost in my blindness and desperate for help.

I found myself powerless to change the things that were broken. All the world views I had found were equally without power. I discovered that there was a way of looking at the world that changed my hopelessness and gave me access to more power than I could hope for or imagine. I once was blind and now I see...

Instead of changing your location, exchange lens through witch you see. Instead of the opaque choose the translucent. Instead of dark shields choose full spectrum. Open your eyes to the projection that is coming from with in. 

Ultimately our illusion is that we have control of anything other than ourselves. We can influence the world. We can modify behaviors, but we need to be transformed from the inside out. When we see that we are powerless to control things outside of ourselves, then we are free to live the lives we dream of. When we are willing to surrender our perspectives, we can gain pure clarity.