One of the reasons I dug deep into obsession this week was because an agency in Boston, MA was looking and tweeting about obsession in online social settings. The agency people took some time to look at my blog and I got to thinking that I could definitely find plenty to write about and dig a little deeper when it came to obsession this week - and I was right. I did a lot of research and I feel pretty pleased overall with the resulting blog posts. Let's hope Boston felt it was helpful too! :)
In order to finish out the week, I took some notes in Sunday School this morning that I felt like I would share. If the religious stuff annoys or bothers you, you may just want to skip the rest of this post.
Still with me? Okay, you have been warned!
With holy week being this week, my Pastor has been talking alot about where we "live" in regards to the Resurrection. He talked last week about Palm Sunday (today) when people waved palm branches to welcome Jesus. Then he discussed where we as human beings live emotionally in our minds and hearts. Most everyone, he said, lives in pre-resurrection. That means that as Christians, we tend to have no trouble believing the fact that Jesus lived and that he was mistreated and eventually crucified. He said most people are perfectly willing to believe that Jesus had a difficult time and was ridiculed because we ourselves can readily recall difficult times we have had in our lives and times when people treated us with less than respectful attitudes. Pastor said that fewer people live post-resurrection - he actually brought up elderly people and young children with very serious illnesses as those he has known in HIS life who he could easily say were living post-resurrection. Those people believed clearly that Jesus had risen and that through his death and resurrection is where you find the true hope in life. Something, he argued, that most of us have trouble with - the whole idea that Jesus could be raised from the dead.
In Sunday School today, we talked about "the third day" - the day Jesus rose. Someone spoke up today and mentioned a time she was walking through a cemetery with a friend and the friend had lost her only child - a nine year old boy - to drowning. The friend spoke up when all was quiet between the two ladies and said "I am so angry at God!" and the woman from Sunday School said in response "well, at least you believe He is there..." Pastor smiled gently in response to her story and said "It's so good to know that God is big enough to take anyone's anger - like a parent can take a child's anger." Then he said "Sometimes we look in dead places (like cemeteries) for explanations of life."
In church today, I met Earl. Earl is a elderly guy, big in stature and with watery dark eyes magnified by thick coke-bottle glasses. His head is almost bald, with scabs and a rash from what looks to be a skin condition and he had flecks of his scalp on his shoulders. He can't speak much and he's confined to a motorized scooter. I watched as people lined up to wish him good morning and to shake his hand or pat him on the back during the greeting time. E. was helping with communion this morning (I was *SO* proud) and I had to pass by Earl on the way up there. I saw as those in front of me would give him a little pat on the shoulder and he was sticking his hand out ready for any kind of human touch and interaction. How many more Earl's are there in the world that we choose to walk past every day - averting our eyes and quickening our steps? When it was my turn to walk on past him or slow my walk briefly and pat him on the back, I stopped completely and cradled his shoulder with one hand and with the other, took his hand and squeezed it gently. He was so grateful for another person's touch - for some sort of tangible proof that he was still alive and people still cared about him. So this blog post is dedicated to Earl - who, I believe, is definitely living post-resurrection. Thank you for humbling me today, Earl - and for reminding me to look in a place of life for explanations of life.
I believe that God loves all of us. I believe that churches place too much emphasis on sinning and on who is doing what against the church's guidelines or against each other. If more time was spent encouraging people to care more about one another and to show concern for everyone in all situations and places in their lives, people would have more respect for religion in general. I don't believe that homosexuality is a sin or that democrats are evil or that people who do terrible things in the name of God are right in any way for blaming their evil ways on something holy. I also don't believe in forcing what I believe on other people - but I felt like sharing this in light of the Easter season. It IS holy week - and in my world, that's a pretty big thing.
I have included a link to the video "He Is Alive". This is a song by Don Fransisco and has been one of my favorite Easter songs since I was 13 years old. I was so impressed someone put it on YouTube with a fantastic series of still photographs. I hope you enjoy it too - if you are interested in watching it.
He Is Alive
And, Dolly Parton does a killer job singing the same song here.
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Help for Internet related addiction is available from multiple sources. Anyone concerned about serious problem Internet usage should consider consulting with a local licensed psychologist, social worker or counselor, specifically one with experience treating addictions. Cognitive therapy based approaches are recommendable due to their systematic and direct focus on reducing problem use and preventing relapse, and the strong scientific support for the approach. Marital and or family therapy approaches may be useful as well when an individual's Internet Addiction is affecting their larger family system (such as might be the case when you chose sl over spending time with your child or husband). More than a few books and self-help resources are also available for those who want to educate themselves on the problem. Internet Addiction Treatment articles are readily available on line, as are support groups.
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