Corby Stephens

I added the “1” to the title because, for all I know, this will be the first of many. And to describe how I got to this particular self reflection would talk a blog entry all by itself. so I’ll skip that one for now. On to the reflection.

Some people are good at something they shouldn’t be. Like lying. Kind of a no-brainer, but it needs to be said. Some people aren’t good at things at which they are supposed to be good. Like being patient. Then there are those ones who are good at things at which they are supposed to be good, but still something is missing. They are incomplete. What’s missing are the things they used to be good at, things it would be good to be good at, but they aren’t anymore. Have I thoroughly confused you yet?

One skill I have tried to develop over the years is critical thinking. Thinking through things. Identifying truths and lies, rights and wrongs, facts and faults. For whatever reason I’ve gotten good at noticing, or drawing attention to lies, wrongs, and faults as opposed to truths, rights, and facts. Pointing out what is wrong is a good things. The word tells us to test, to judges, to evaluate. But if all you do is notice the negative you are going to find yourself increasingly bitter and increasingly left to yourself. It isn’t that I don’t see the good in things, it’s just that it seems like so many people ignore the bad that needs to be dealt with to the point where there is no such thing as bad. I could go on with examples and “why’s” but I don’t need to bore you with “Corby on the couch” time. Moving on.

I used to be known as an encourager. I’m not bragging on myself or anything, that’s just how it was back in the day. I don’t know precisely how or when it changed, but I’m not known for that anymore. I think one of the bigger reasons is that I had a job where I had to be encouraging. I had to be “on” all the time. Some guys who did what I did were natural at it. I wasn’t. I had to fake it after a while. I think I had to fake it so much that even when I felt the need, urge, or instinct to be genuinely encouraging that I shrank back from it because it felt fake. The same principle applied to other areas that are normal behavior for most humans. You know, like feeling happy. I had to fake people “up” and happy so much that I forgot what it actually felt like for real.

I need to stop being good at faking it. I need to temper being good at being critical. I need to get good again, more good, gooder, at being that encourager. Instead of just noticing the good in passing on the way to nailing the bad and shining the spotlight on it, I need to also shine the spotlight on the good.

Reflect.

Paul, writing to the believers in Galatia, says in Galatians 4:19, “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,” In Romans 7:3-4 Paul says, “So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another–to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.” (emphasis added).

It’s interesting how sexual and intimate Paul can be in his language. In other places he said that he considered himself a nursing mother to the new baby believers. Marriage, sex, labor pains, fruit. Fellow believers, especially you pastors out there, have you ever thought about it like that? The “labor in birth” dynamic hit home for me this past week, and indeed these past several years. I’ve always conceptually understood it, but never really experienced it. At least I never connected the dots. (I can be a little slow sometimes.) Read the rest of this entry »

One of the things I’ve wanted to do is, after I go through a book, to turn the study of that book into a devotional. Like one of those 30-day thingys. I started on one after I went through Acts and, like the Captain ADD that I am, I got side tracked. So perhaps I need a little inspiration. Here is the first one that I got through. I thought I’d post it as a demo and get some feed back. Read the rest of this entry »

No, not better than you. Sheesh. I don’t even know you! Stop being so full of yourself. Oh wait, don’t go. I’m sorry. That’s what I’m talking about. I need to be a better blogger than me. Not just in terms of volume. If I read my own blog I’d be bored to tears. I’d also think that this guy does nothing but rant. There is plenty to rant about to be sure. I also don’t want to just be Mr. Happy-happy-joy-joy either like some sickening Christian radio stations that will remain nameless. People tell me I have something to say. People tell me they appreciate my insights into some things. I guess I should share them more often. I will try to do so in a more positive manner and more often. So, here’s to it.

It’s no secret, I’m a fan of sci-fi. One show I really like is Stargate-SG1. Those who are movie-purists don’t like the show, but I bridged the gap. All of my watching has been done in reruns. The show was on for 10 years and it’s spin-off, Stargate Atlantis is in it’s fourth and final season. Late in the SG1 story line, after beating the original bad guys (the guys I can’t spell), and after beating the next bad guys (the replicators), they introduced a whole new kind of bad guy. After all, an adventure show needs bad guys for the heros to beat. These bad guys were called the Ori.

They are supernatural being. They ascended from a physical form to an energy form and live forever. They send out missionaries called Priors to the planets of the galaxy to spread Origin, the teaching of the Ori. What is the Gospel of the Ori? The Ori are good, loving, and benevolent beings who alone hold the truth of reality. They want to share their love, their truth, and the ability to ascend with all who would follow them, those who would devote themselves to worshipping them as the only true gods. If people don’t, they they will be punished forever with fire. This sounds familiar… Read the rest of this entry »