Michael E. Gunter's Blog

If you were going to design a brochure about the Christian life and send it out to the non-Christian world, what would you put in it? Something about God’s love? How about forgiveness and salvation? Maybe a word about heaven? What about these basics?

* If you want to be somebody, you gotta be a nobody.

* When you arrive on the scene, take the cheap seats and let someone else have the front row.

* If you want to follow Jesus, you’re going to have to learn submission.

* If you want to be a part of God’s Kingdom, you need to consider others more important than yourself.

This was a major part of Jesus’ message. He preached it to the crowds. He taught it to His disciples. He demonstrated it in His own life. And it stuck as a qualifying characteristic for those who would call themselves Christians. The biblical writers who came after Jesus could have downplayed this radical idea for the sake of attracting more people to the faith, but they didn’t. They continued to promote the basic message –

“If you want to get ahead in this world, don’t align yourself with Jesus.”

If you think that sounds off, consider Paul’s instruction to the Christians in Rome: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Or James: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Maybe this is why the world looks so strange to Christians. Maybe this is why Christians look so strange to the world. The fact is there are two completely different sets of rules at work here. Jesus says, “Deny yourself, take the last place and put others first.” The world says, “Insist upon your rights, look out for yourself and get what you can.”

If we could only wrap our heads around this difficult idea, maybe we wouldn’t be so shocked when non-Christians don’t behave like Christians. Maybe we wouldn’t be so surprised when the world thinks we’re nuts.

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If you have a writer in your life, you may have noticed a few unusual behaviors…things that could be misinterpreted. Please don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong. Let me try to explain.

When we get that far away look, we aren’t bored or disinterested. We live in two worlds and something just happened in the other one. Just give us a minute. We’ll be right back.

If we talk around a subject without really saying anything, we aren’t trying to be clever or difficult. We’re just working out a kink in the story. Please don’t try to help. You can listen or change the subject. We won’t mind.

If we seem a little too okay with you wanting to do something that doesn’t include us, there’s nothing wrong. Please don’t think we’ll be bored or upset. The fact is we love you and want to spend time with you, but there is a cast of characters anxious to have their lives written and they can be a little demanding.

If you find a name or list of names doodled on a scrap of paper, don’t jump to conclusions. We are not having an affair. We are trying to name a character, and it helps to see it written out.

If you discover internet searches for exotic places, hair and clothing styles, instructions on how to build a bomb or rob a bank, don’t panic. We’re not up to no good. It’s research.

If we get up in the middle of the night and don’t come back to bed, we aren’t sick. Something just happened in that other world or a character decided it was time to have a chat. Please don’t remind us we have to go to work in a few hours. We know. We’ll suffer from lack of sleep. And it will be worth it.

If we get a little weird when someone asks about our writing…well, this one is hard to explain. We want to talk about it, but we don’t want to talk about it. I mean, we’re glad people are interested, but we don’t really know how to present that other world and all those characters in a few brief sentences. We don’t want to come off as self-promoting, but we would love it if they wanted to read our book. It’s strange, I know, but every writer I know struggles with this. Now we don’t mind it at all when other people talk about our books. So please, by all means, feel free to help us out with this one.

If you have a writer in your life, and you can get past some of the unusual behavior, hang on to us. You’ll be glad you did, and so will we.

While reading reviews for the upcoming movie, “The Fault in Our Stars,” I ran across a statement by a reviewer at the New York Observer that stuck with me all day. He wrote, “There’s a lot of religious inspiration in the film I could do without, but the characters seem as real as inhaling.” He goes on to write an overall favorable review of the film, although he does say it would have been just as good at half the length. So, basically the only real fault in “The Fault in Our Stars” is that it is a bit on the slow side and contains a lot of religious inspiration. I haven’t seen the movie, but I find it ironic that a film that tackles death head-on should be criticized for its religious content. I also find it ironic that this kind of flippant disregard for the spiritual is embraced by many as a normal and even admirable approach to life. They very well may write: “There’s a lot of religious inspiration in life I could do without, but the characters seem as real as inhaling.” Feeling a bit inspired myself, I thought I would offer three facts to consider:

Fact #1: You exist.

But not like a rock or a bug. You exist and have the amazing ability to think about your existence. You can believe in or not believe in a lot of things, but you cannot deny the fact that you exist. Now I have met one man who thought we might all be figments of someone else’s imagination, but I suspect he was a very rare exception. If you happen to be an exception to this first fact, then you aren’t really reading this anyway. So onward.

Fact #2: One day you won’t exist.

Time is the great equalizer. Rich. Poor. Good. Bad. Famous. Obscure. The unstoppable clock will eventually see each of us to the grave. And then it will keep right on ticking as if we were never here. Even those who consider themselves exceptions to Fact #1 agree with this.

Fact #3: An overwhelming majority of humans (past, present, future) believer there is something beyond this life.

If this belief, which is at the core of religious inspiration, showed up only at a certain time in history or among a certain group of people, it would make sense to think it an oddity, a quirk. But it is not an isolated phenomenon. From the earliest writings and wherever there are people, there is evidence of this belief. Scientists make a big deal over unlikely commonalities that show up among people separated by time or distance. The fact that religious belief is so prevalent among humans demands a careful consideration of it.

For all those who feel life has a lot of religious inspiration they could do without, consider this: Given the facts, what if the vast majority of all humans who have ever lived just happened to be right on this matter? Now I am not here advocating any particular religious belief, just the idea that there is something beyond us and this present life. Given the state of things, maybe religious inspiration is the one thing we really can’t do without.

Yesterday, I posted a comment on FaceBook that prompted a most unexpected response. It was one of those moments where only part of the total thought got communicated, and it came off sounding the opposite of what I meant.

Here’s what I posted: Rethinking the whole writing thing. Hmm…think, think, think. Should I continue or not? The story matters to my characters. That’s reason enough to keep at it.

Here’s what I meant: Every once in a while I need to check my motives. It’s a simple question, “Why do I write?” When I was just starting out, I entertained all the typical reasons: Big book deal with a major publisher; national, no international fan base; long uninterrupted days in my writing office/library in a house on a cliff overlooking an angry Pacific Ocean, listening to soft jazz, sipping coffee, wearing big sweaters while a low fire crackles in the hearth. Thirteen years later, I see things in a different light. The only correspondence from publishers comes in the form of rejection, my total reader base could probably fit in a Barnes and Noble, and my dream office/library is three thousand miles west of here. So why do I write? Why must I write?

Here are my reasons:

I have a story to tell and I can’t rest until it’s told.

My characters are my friends. I like them a lot, and I want to give them the chance to live out the adventures they are meant to live.

My readers are important to me. They’ve given their time to my books. They’ve entrusted me with their emotional investment in my characters. I’m committed to honor the reader/writer covenant.

It brings a joy that is beyond words. I hope that comes through in the joy some of my characters experience in the worlds we create together.

Those are some of the reasons I won’t stop writing. A word to everyone who responded to what may have sounded like a statement of resignation. You are the evidence for #3. Thank you for giving me a chance and a reason to keep writing.

There are certain cultural voices that would have us believe we humans are failing miserably at everything. We’re destroying our planet, we’re poisoning our bodies, we’re dumbing down our children, we’re bankrupting our future, and we’re wrong about everything we’ve ever believed about everything. All this in spite of the fact that we are the most advanced civilization the world has ever known, we’ve created a system for easy and instant access to the world’s knowledge, and anyone can create a platform from which to broadcast their ideas to the world. What I want to know is if we humans are such idiots, how did we ever develop such a system that allows us to proclaim it so efficiently? Or (the flip-side) if we are so brilliant to design such a system, why are we using it against ourselves?

Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not blind to the messes we’ve made. We should admit them and work very hard to clean them up. What I don’t understand is the person who expects a mess at every turn and then after trying to do something about it steps back expecting to find a new mess in his wake. Nothing is ever good enough. His best efforts are riddled with mistakes. And he is constantly inviting others to point out yet even more problems that he might have missed during his own evaluation. Again, I am not denying our need for constructive criticism or even a good kick in the pants from time to time. But when self-deprecation becomes a person’s default and they feel compelled to inflict it upon the rest of us through the many forms of media, we may no longer be dealing with a simple personality quirk. Furthermore, when this hyper-criticism of one’s own species is manifested as a cultural trend, it begins to perpetuate itself by attracting those who define their value systems by what they perceive as progressive or enlightened thinking. If these voices do indeed speak for the culture, we would have to conclude that the “I’m okay, you’re okay” mantra of the 1960s and 70s is being replaced by the new “I’m a screw-up, and so is everyone.” Could we be witnessing a swing of the cultural pendulum from one extreme to the other? Are we entering the Age of Self-Loathing?

If there is anything to my observation, I offer my Christian faith as the answer, not as a religion, but as the completely accurate and positive view of humanity. Christianity agrees we’re in trouble, but rather than fishing for reasons in the sea of society’s problems, it identifies the source of our trouble. Our problem is we rejected God, period. Christianity also identifies the only solution to our trouble. Rather than limiting sugar intake or carbon emissions, it points to a Person. The only way out of our predicament is by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and obeying Him as King. If this sounds like an oversimplification of our condition or too easy of an out, I challenge the cultural voices to make their case. So far, it doesn’t seem to be working, does it?

Did you know that tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous? Before that, the Earth was thought to be flat. And it wasn’t that long ago that people drank radioactive water and wore radium pendants. Silly people, right? Well, it turns out that we humans do a lot of rethinking. Cigarettes used to be cool. Everybody smoked. But light up in public today and you’re a public offender. Unless, of course, you want to light up a joint, which used to mean you were one of “those kinds of people,” but now it means you’re cool and progressive.

I used to think that all this rethinking meant we were thinking better; you know, getting smarter. But now that I’ve thought about it, I’m forced to rethink my position. It could mean were missing something important.

Okay, I’ll go along with the rethink on tomatoes, the shape of the earth and radiation. And I’ll not argue about the health risks of smoking as long as I understand what we’re all supposed to think — cigarettes bad, marijuana good? Is that what we’re all supposed to think? Just checking.

Back to my point: A lot of our rethinking is the result of our not thinking at all. Somebody says, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea.” The rest of us haven’t thought much about it, it sounds okay, so we all go along. A few years later, someone else says, “That was a terrible idea. Let’s change it.” The first guy doesn’t agree, but the majority of us who didn’t think through the first idea enough to oppose it are now just as happy to go along with the second guy. Does anyone remember the nationwide 55 mph speed limit?

I’ve been thinking on this a lot lately as I hear people argue the hot topics of today. We as a society are in the process of rethinking some pretty major ideas that will dramatically affect how we live – the climate, morality, what should and should not be tolerated or even allowed, health care, sexuality…you know what I’m talking about. Pretty soon, decisions will be made, laws will be enacted, and like it or not, that will be our society.

I know where I stand on most of these topics, but that’s not the purpose of this post. I’d like to ask you a question: How exactly are you going to decide your position?

Are you going with what feels right to you?

Are you waiting to see where the most people land?

Are you giving these issues careful consideration, doing your own research, and coming to your own thoughtful conclusion?

Are you going with the side that shouts the loudest, has the best looking spokesperson, or appears most confident?

Are you honestly seeking the truth, and are you ready to let truth dictate your position, even if you don’t like it? (CAUTION: This one will almost certainly be the least popular)

Are you going to choose none of the above and just accept whatever happens?

Think about it. What’s really behind our rethinking? Where will it lead us? And will we have to rethink these same issues again? We usually do.

You will make little progress if you use the same tactics for every assignment. You must assess your target, identify its inclination, and attack accordingly.

For the weak-minded: Get them to commit deeply to things of little consequence. Increase their loyalty to a sports team. Get them to linger long in front of mirrors. Encourage infatuation with celebrities. By all means, fill their lives with thin and cheap things. Make the easy satisfying, and the difficult distasteful.

For the driven: Convince them that hard work is the highest ideal. Make the student believe “A” means average. Make the worker believe that only the lazy stop at 40 hours. Make them see the lawn to the right as a little better than theirs, and the lawn to the left a little worse, then make that a point of irritation to them. Make perfectionists of them.

For those who think themselves reasonable: Frivolous pursuits and hard driving perfectionism will not work, for they have seen the emptiness of the former and the elusiveness of the latter. Work to unbalance their well-organized lives. Turn options into necessities, and nudge their commitments into the realm of option.

A word about Christians. You will find them in all three of the above categories. These tactics will work just as well on them as the unfaithful.

Ghosts and goblins don’t bother me. Witches and warlocks don’t scare me. I’m not even disturbed by zombies. But there is something that haunts me every day.

I first became aware of it when I was a kid. We used to visit old junk yards. One day, I happened upon a 1950s model car. Nothing special, just an old car that had been wrecked. I got into it and started taking in the details–the steering wheel, the knobs on the dash, the speedometer, the radio. Those details caused me to think about the last people to ride in that car. I wondered who they were, where they were going, what they were talking about in that moment right before the crash. It was a moment, and life for them was a certain way. Then everything changed. That’s when the haunting started for me. Even today, I get that same uneasy feeling whenever I see an old car like that. It’s like the past wants to be remembered, but its sad because the memory of it is becoming less and less complete with each passing year. It’s slowly decaying.

But it’s not just old cars that trigger this. Other things cause the haunting.

Think of a specific year in the past, like 1982. Consider the millions of details (or threads) that attached us to that time. The president was Ronald Reagan. Gas was about $.70 per gallon. America’s enemy was the Soviet Union. Music had a certain sound. Cars had a certain look. People wore their hair a certain way. “Text” was only a noun. “Yahoo” was an expression of excitement. “Google” was gibberish. I kept a quarter in my shoe in case I needed to use a pay phone. And the year 2000 was so future. Of course, there were millions of other threads, but you get the idea.

Now, think of this year, 2013. Consider the millions of threads that attach us to this time: The president, gas prices, music, cars, hair styles, vocabulary, technology. It’s all so different. And humanity is different, too. Nobody presently under the age of 31 was here in 1982. And so many who were here then are now gone. Even the year 2000 feels like the past.

The threads that attached us to 1982 did not hold. They were severed and replaced by threads that moved us along the conveyor belt of time. The threads of 2013 are just as fragile as the those of 1982, though they don’t seem like it. In fact, most people don’t even think about this present time slipping into the past, but it is. Everyday, one or two threads break, allowing us to move into the future where new threads catch us. But they are delicate as well, holding us only for a little while until the future’s pull becomes too strong for them. Then they too will let us go.

Make of this what you will. Forget it if you want. The future doesn’t care what you think. It just keeps pulling. But I can’t stop thinking about it. It haunts me when I think about the fact that this is the last year my son will live with us. Everyday, I feel more and more of my familiar threads snapping and unfamiliar threads binding us to a very different future. It haunts me when I think about all the pressing concerns that occupy my time and use up my energy. They are important now, but I know that very soon they will slip into the past and become less important. It haunts me when I think about my time on this planet. I’ve used up 48 of my allotted years, and I don’t know how many are left. It haunts me when I see the world changing around me. I liked the 20th century, but so much of what I remember with fondness is now either ignored or ridiculed by people who weren’t even there. I miss a lot of those old threads, and I confess the new ones just don’t feel right to me. Sometimes I feel like that old car in the junk yard. As time moves into the future, dragging me with it, I am becoming less and less relevant. One day, I’ll be gone, and even the memory of me will suffer decay with each passing year.

It’s Halloween. Bring on the zombies. They don’t haunt me nearly as much as time.

What compels one man to tell another man how he should live, where he can go, what he may do, what he must believe? If he were the second man’s creator, he would be well within his rights to dictate such things. But are not both men born of the same Creator? So, how does it occur to one man that he knows what is right and best for the other? Is it because of his strength? Strong men have used their advantage to inflict great harm. Is it his intellect? Brilliant men have devised evil schemes. Is it by birth that he should occupy a place over another? Kings have committed horrendous atrocities. Is it by popular selection? Yes, even those who have been elected have used their position to oppress.

To be sure, there are many who believe their intentions are for good rather than bad when they impose their beliefs and ways upon another. But even in this they have put themselves above another. They believe their ways are better, their ideas more true. It is this that creates the opportunity for evil to enter and distort, to convince the first man that he is a type of god over another.

There is only one God. He alone can determine how a man should live, where he can go, what he may do, what he must believe. But even God offers men the freedom to do or not do, to believe or not believe. So if God, who is rightful Lord over man, does not force man to live and do and believe a certain way in this life time, what gives a mere human the idea that he may do so? He is not a god.

Each of us will answer to the true God for how we have lived and believed in this life. We will also answer for how much we have aspired to be a god in this life.