Silver Medal Syndrone

Silver medal syndrome is the sad diagnosis for Georgia sports fans.  The disappointments of never winning the gold medal leads to unnecessary depression. Georgia sports fans cannot see how good they have it because of the clouded vision of only wanting the top position.  Second place in the SEC or second place in the National Championship tastes a lot like all the years of second place World Series finishes for the Atlanta Braves. The Braves won their division for years.  Tons of National League pennants. But only one World Series Championship. Just one.  

It always seems that Alabama is winning. The Yankees.  Now it's Clemson. Or LSU. And remember the Super Bowl loss to the stupid PATRIOTS! Good grief what a loss that was. Don't they have enough championships. But that's par for the course for Georgia sports fans. Silver medal again.  

But do you know who is always the happiest person at an Olympic Medal Ceremony? Yeah the gold medalist gets to hear their national anthem played and the highest podium to stand on.  But the bronze medal winners are actually the happiest. And here is why. They almost didn't make it on the podium at all. They are usually thrilled to be there! Occasionally you have someone that usually wins Gold who slips up and is disappointed with a Bronze.  But 9 times out of 10 the Bronze medal finisher knows it is a HUGE accomplishment to be where they are. They know that all the other competitors missed out on simply making it onto the podium. 

Georgia sports fans can envision how great it could have been.  What might have been all those time. We should have won several World Series titles in the 90s. The Bulldogs should have had several National Championships in the trophy case.  So close. So many times. Atlanta should have a Super Bowl title. Maybe 2. But no. Instead of being happy with cheering for competitive teams year after year, the sour taste of second place spoils the joy.  And once again we watch another team climb onto the gold medal stand.

Maybe instead of stewing over Silver Medals Georgia sports fans should be thankful.  Imagine never being successful at all. Imagine not having any teams at all. Go Dawgs.

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Myles Brown

Risk Taking God

One of the most disheartening things in life is to find out that you have been manipulated.  When you only imagine that you are making free choices, it is not true freedom. When I find out that someone has been pulling invisible strings in order to orchestrate a situation, I feel violated.  It is never good even if in the short term I am benefited in some way. Manipulation of people or situations to set people up is a violation of human dignity. It is wrong. It is never the loving thing to do.  

When I hear of people manipulating situations to get people to be persuaded to make certain choices it makes my skin crawl.  I think the reason I hate it so much is that I have been the victim far too often. I've been enticed by marketing. I have fallen for the picture perfect sales pitch.  I have been baited and switched. I've seen the cruel self serving backroom cooked up strategies to shape people and situations. Even with supposedly "noble" intentions all attempts at manipulation fall way short of a much higher central virtue of love.  Love does not manipulate because love is not self seeking. Love does not violate the dignity of another person. Love is patient and kind. Love does not "cook-up" scenarios where people are manipulated. Love has no strings attached.

Jesus is the full revelation of a God who is essentially love.  Jesus would not manipulate people or situations. He was guided by love in a pathway of love.  By refusing to manipulate, be allowed some to follow and others to walk away. Some were healed. And some were not.  He really couldn't heal those who didn't believe. He didn't wave a magic wand over the sick of a village. One by one they sought him to be healed. When he was welcomed, he stayed.  When he was rejected and run out of town, he left. He refused to just put on a show (their demands for a sign). Love doesn't manipulate even when a close friend betrays you or abandons you.  God in Jesus willingly died on a cross after being accused of various crimes. Primarily Jesus' message of the Kingdom of God was in conflict with the religious system (Temple religion) and it's leaders.  The leaders knew the implication of Jesus' message on their power base and stability. But love did not manipulate. Love had rather die than use power to manipulate people and situations for itself.  

Here is a question to ponder: what if God doesn't manipulate at all.  What if love is His essential nature and He refuses to manipulate people and situations to suit His purposes?  It sure would explain a lot of things:

• Why such bad things happen sometimes

• Our genuine existential freedom

• The patience of God apparent in the flow of history

• Injustices

• The profound sense of connectedness that is felt when people really choose to love each other 

What if we "feel" free while all the time "god" is manipulating the whole system?  What if we parented our children that way? What if we rigged the situation continually with their environment and tricking them into making the choices we want them make?  Imagine sending these children out into a world susceptible to the manipulation of the powerful and shrewd. Or even worse, learning how to do it to others. Training masterful manipulators by the example of manipulating parents.  This would not be love no matter how it is justified. 

Love trusts. No matter how you spin that, love involves risk.  That is why love often hurts. Love can be rejected and spurned. There is real, not imagined, uncertainty in the world of free agents.  Choosing to love another is real. Choosing to disappoint or hurt another is real too.  

What kind of world is this? There are certainly tendencies we can predict with some high probabilities, but it is not predictable. Manipulation happens.  Some forecasting is helpful. But people can also surprise you in big ways. 

What kind of God full of love is interacting with this created world? Does God love in such a risking way so as not to manipulate His creatures? What if fatalism and determinism is a farce.  Real time is real. Future is endless possibilities. Forecasting is helpful but surprises are certain in an open system with free participants.

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Myles Brown

Sunday Morning Reflection

In Matthew chapter 12 we find Jesus and his disciples traveling. They were hungry. They entered a field and began to snack on grains growing in the field. Religious leaders were evidently traveling or viewing them from a distance and saw this. Instead of offering to feed them (a very kind religious act) they criticize them for doing "work" on the Sabbath day (a day for rest and worship).  Jesus shares with them that they have missed the point of worship, God, and the Sabbath entirely. 

Then Jesus enters a place of worship and blatantly heals a man's hand in front of all the leaders and worship attendees. He then asks the question, "Is this legal to do on the Sabbath?" 

Wow. As you can imagine, the leaders who were challenged here began to strategize a way to destroy Jesus. They clearly understood the implications of Jesus' teachings and actions: people are more holy than rules, places, or days of the week. In short, if you you have to choose between any religious rule or obligation and loving/helping/encouraging someone, then toss the supposed rule to love the person. 

This is a wonderful way to live and change the world. It just doesn't work with establishing or sustaining a religious tradition with rituals and rules. 

The way of Jesus still challenges our notions of religion, rules, and obligations. Go where love and kindness to people is found. There you will meet Jesus already there hanging out with the supposed "outcasts." And having a great time.

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Myles Brown

Life after ministry

Since leaving my role of full time pastoring a church family I have enjoyed seeing life from a new perspective. I enjoyed at least 16 out of my 20 years in vocational ministry 😉.  A bad year or two here and there is to be expected in any job. I have enjoyed so many people and experiences along the way. Here are a few things I've learned from the experience and can see now with clarity:

1) Leading a large group of people to move in a certain direction is really, REALLY hard. And I struggled at doing this with much effectiveness. It is hard enough to lead a family well and we are stuck together by blood and deep commitment. Churches are voluntary organizations tied together by values, beliefs and mutual cooperation. And then on top of that are layers of norms, culture, preferences, and traditions. In times of enormous shifts in culture, values, ideas, and technology it is compounded with complexity. I feel sympathetic for any leaders seeking to lead voluntary organizations and businesses. It's really tough. I tried really hard with meager results in organizational leadership even though some people along the way have been encouraged and helped. 

2) Moving around so much has been hard. Really hard. Hard on relationships. Hard on the kids. Hard financially. Hard on are hearts. We developed great friendships in churches and neighborhoods where we have lived but then were uprooted and loss. Keeping in touch is hard. Nearly impossible when you are trying to make friends in the new place. There is a sadness over each friend we rarely see but deeply miss. And our kids have experienced this over and over again too. I'm not sure anyone handles this type of moving well. We've tried to handle it well but I feel distant from all the people we have left and lonely. I'm not sure it's suppose to work this way.  I plan to stay put. Seriously.

3) My ideas about the Bible, people, wisdom, science, and cultures keep growing and expanding. I'm afraid my views are beyond fitting neatly into any one denomination again, especially where Injave come out of (Southern Baptist Convention).  I'm not sure where I am at home spiritually anymore. But I love hosing others, talking about the person and message of Jesus, and our Bible fellowship gathering at our pontoon boat dock each week. It is simple. It is genuine. It's about all I can handle right now. Enjoying loving God and our neighbors.

4) I enjoy working hard in the new career field I'm in (gas pipeline construction). It has been a humbling and challenging fresh start. I love learning and helping. And I love getting out of my truck and leaving work at work and enjoying my family. 

5) Our families have been huge along the way. Without families and friends we would have gone bankrupt, crazy, and discouraged long ago. We can't thank all of them enough for believing in what we have been trying to pursue. And now that we are moving into this new adventure of life beyond vocational ministry, I know they are praying for us.  They know we haven't lost our minds or our way in the God's kingdom. Their support means the most still.

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Myles Brown