I am a fan of Philip precisely because he is willing to ask the hard questions; he asks the questions that I so often find running through my own mind. In his latest work, Yancey poses the question “What Good is God?” He then seeks the answer through reviewing a wide sample of trips he has taken in the past few years. His eclectic gathering of stories from such a wide variety of places lends credo to the answer to the question. From prostitutes to college students, to South Africans, addicts and other populations, his interview style and his openness about his own doubts and assurances about God give the reader much to think about. Thank you, Mr. Yancey, for once again being transparent with your own soul, so that your readers are more apt to be transparent with their souls before God.
Archives for October 2010
Neglect…..
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve turned to my blog in order to sort out my thoughts on any subject.
I’m not sure why, but I’ve entered a realm where I am tired of thinking. My mind is not sharp, it is quite dull. But I’ll post a story here from recent weeks:
I have been receiving several documents in the mail as of late, in preparation for an upcoming court hearing. I’m being sued by a lawyer for the legal fees incurred by my husband. Since he is incarcerated (I think that is the first time I’ve shared that on this blog) and will remain there for another 13 years or so, his guardian ad litem (court appointed attorney in the civil case, not his criminal case) is seeking payment of the legal fees. My lawyer is pretty confident that the judge will rule that the state will pay the fees as opposed to me paying them.
All that to say, as a result, my mailbox has been receiving a renewed onslaught of legal documents.
The latest was a notification from my lawyer to the other lawyer, acknowledging the date set for the hearing. Pretty standard stuff, except for this time the wording caught my eye:
“And the defendant will ever pray, etc”
That was the closing line of this newest document. The defendant will ever pray. Now, I understand that this is legal terminology, that history has dictated in the formal respect driven world of law. But those words made me pause and think:
Defendant refers to “the party against which an action is brought”, acccording to the American Heritage Dictionary. An action has been brought against me. It reminds me of Psalms, so many of them, where the author of the Psalms pleas with God to protect him from those who would bring an action against the author. I am a defendant. But not just in this civil case, I am a defendant in this world. This is not home, this existence on earth. How I long for home.
“And the defendant will ever pray, etc.”
Legal jargon yes. However, it caused me to examine my mind and soul and to reconsider prayer, real prayer. This sentence does not say that I might pray. It does not say that I should pray. It says that I, the defendant, will EVER pray. Difficult English to understand, maybe. But I take it to mean that the defendant will continually pray. What other choice is there? There is none. Unceasing prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Do I continually pray? No, far from it. Do I need to be continually praying–O yes, because where else do I have to go? What other options lead to sanity, to peace, to direction, except through prayer, the catalyst for relationship to God. It’s the stuff John 6:68 is made of–To whom shall I go except to Jesus? Because He has the words of eternal life. I do not. I do not.
I mostly am writing this story, so as to preach it to myself. Tonight I do not feel well. Tomorrow is another long day away from my kids, working all day. I, the defendant, need to ever pray, etc. And that etc.? My personal et cetera must incorporate scripture work, must incorporate quiet time alone to pray, to write, to think, to study, and to pray again. I have neglected these things as of late, out of fatigue. But they must take priority, if this defendant, by the grace of God, is going to survive.
FEARS
I found this list of fears to be fascinating!
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Coulrophobia
Fear of clowns. And not just “evil clowns” either. Most common in children, but adults can sometime suffer from it too. In 2006, the Isle of Wight Bestival had to cancel their previous request that people show up as clowns due to the unusually high numbers of Coulrophobics in the audience.
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Ergasiophobia
Characterised by excessive procrastination, psychiatrists say the procrastination helps to avoid the anxiety associated with starting a task, or with making a decision.
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Gephyrophobia
Fear of bridges. Drivers crossing the Tappan Zee bridge can call ahead to the New York Thruway Authority and have someone else drive the car over the bridge for them.
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Neophobia
Fear of newness. This is far more common in the elderly and in children, although in the majority of cases it simply manifests as an unwillingness to break from routine.
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Nomophobia
Fear of being out of mobile phone contact. Not as strange as it might sound, and a survey carried out in the UK showed that 53% of all mobile phone users feel anxious when their phone is no longer usable. Imagine if there was an accident and you had no way to contact help.
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Oneirophobia
Fear of dreams. While not officially accepted by the scientific community, Oneirophobia is non the less quite real. It is not, as you would imagine, a fear of nightmares (which is understandable), it is rather a fear of facing the intimate parts of a persons life they can represent.
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Osmophobia
Fear of smells. Most common in people who can suffer from smell triggered migraines. Can also refer to a psychological hypersensitivity to smell, as well as a fear of them.
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Panphobia
Fear of everything. Alternatively, being constantly scared and not knowing why. Unfortunately for sufferers, Panphobia is usually a symptom of schizophrenia.
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Somniphobia/Hypnophobia
Fear of sleep. This one is surprisingly common, with thousands of documented cases each year. While most sufferers realise that it is completely unnecessary to be afraid of sleep, this does not help them at all. It could be caused by an experience of nightmares as a child, which the subconsciously try to avoid.
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Technophobia
Fear of technology. The Amish are sometimes called technophobic, though they maintain that their avoidance of modern technology is for religious reasons and not a fear of it
Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/11555_10-unusual-phobias#ixzz13EumKN3e
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