It occurs to me, when I read the Bible, that in life many people have the wrong perspective of who Jesus is and what he actually did by dieing on the cross and the wrong perspective of who God is for that matter.
When we are preaching or teaching or sharing the gospel if we don't present it in the right perspective, the perspective of the original artist..... God of course.... we leave people with the wrong understanding. We leave them unimpressed. They may even be offended by us wasting their time with what they perceive to be useless. It is not until we frame the Gospel in the Old testament law that people are able to gain the perspective to understand how big sin is in their lives. Just how grave a consequence is awaiting them for being sinners..... that it will result in death and eternal damnation. That we all have sinned and that their is no escaping it except through the substitutionary atonement of Jesus. When we give that perspective first.... we begin to understand the magnitude of what God did for us through his son Jesus. It is in that light that we understand the hopelessness of trying to accomplish this ourselves..... it is impossible we can't be good enough.
If you always share the Gospel as just the Gospel of Love you are not giving a true perspective. If you are always preaching the feel good..... God has a plan for your life and it is good. God is a God of Love and Jesus loves you no matter what..... you are not giving a true perspective. You are most likely preaching or reaching out to someones felt needs and telling them that Jesus will make it better. Well that is not a complete and true perspective of the Bible, of God or of Jesus. It is just a partial picture and while it is in the BIG picture it is still lacking accurate perspective. You cannot eliminate the other attributes of God. As loving as God is and there is no doubt about the magnitude of his love when it comes to sacrificing His Son on the cross for our sins.
You cannot glaze over the fact that he is a just God..... God loves justice as much as he loves us and that he will ensure that justice is carried out to perfection. God is a jealous God he does want us to serve him and love him and when we don't, because he is a just God, he is willing to punish those that do not love him. God does not approach that desire for us to love him and serve him like a love sick lover..... you know the one that will do anything...... compromise their own beliefs..... values... even rules to not lose the one they love...... No God will not approach us in that manner he will not lower his standards to create a relationship with him. He will not compromise to cause us to think he is a great guy. He will not lavish us with the greatest of material gifts and then ask us to make a choice and to choose him please..... please..... Please......
God will restore us to a relationship with him but only through his son Jesus. It takes repentance on our part, humility and a willingness to submit to him. It will never be a relationship on our terms..... It will always be on his terms. How many times have we presented the Gospel to people on their terms and left them holding a bag of lies and misrepresentations.
Lets look at the story of the rich young ruler.
Matthew 19:16-24 (ESV)
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
As we see here it is again on God's terms. Jesus didn't negotiate with him..... He didn't pander to the rich young ruler. Jesus didn't chase after him and say hey maybe we can work out a deal... If you finance my ministry and help me out, I will give you a key place in my kingdom. Nope he said sell your stuff and give it to the poor..... not to him or his ministry or the church or the synagogue. NO he said sell it and give to the poor. Jesus did not secretly send one of the disciples after him and tell him to only sell what he wants to, make a visible donation to the charity of his choice, and say 10 hail Mary's and take your mother to a nice dinner and you can have eternal life.... get this if you don't get anything else...... THERE WAS NO NEGOTIATION.
The great Bible commentator Matthew Henry had this to say about this passage.
Here is Christ's discourse with his disciples. We are tempted to wish that Christ had mollified that saying which frightened this young gentleman from following him, and by an explanation taken off the harshness of it: but he knew all men's hearts; he would not court him to be his follower, because he was a rich man and a ruler; but, if he will go, let him go. Christ will keep no man against his will; and therefore we do not find that Christ called him back, (Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible.)
We are all called as Christians to go out and share the Gospel. It doesn't matter if you are called to be a teacher or a preacher. We all are to share the gospel..... we should give people a helping hand by telling them what the perspective was of the original artist..... God. Point them in the right direction..... help them understand. If you lack understanding spend time with the word. He will provide understanding and wisdom to all those that ask. I encourage you to think about perspective..... The right perspective makes all the difference in the world.
What ways do you see perspective impacting things in your life or the lives of others?
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
How Perspective effects our Perception part 2
When we ended part 1 of How Perspective Effects our Perception. We were going to pick up with an example of an interaction between a husband and a wife.
From a relational PERSPECTIVE the things we spoke about earlier that shape our individual perspective will impact our perception of what is going on. Lets look at this one example of a husband and a wife interacting.
A wife asks the husband to wipe down the walls of the shower when he is finished. She knows that failing to do so causes mildew in the grout, a tough cleaning job - as she knows because she has been the one to clean it.
But the husband is surprised she mentioned it because he always thought the moisture in the shower quickly evaporated and never caused a problem. He sees her remark as critical and overreacting. He wonders if she has some other beef she's stewing on.
A new barrier to communication has just been erected - caused by differences in perspective.
His perspective no big deal it drys fast.
Her perspective big deal and cleaning the grout is a pain
Each of their perspectives causes an issue with PERCEPTION. He now perceives that she is being critical and overreacting and that there may be another issue..... This is based on his perspective that it will dry fast and is no big deal.
Now if he doesn't do it and goes on about his business because he doesn't think it is a big deal. His wife comes behind him and observes that it was in fact not done..... then her perspective of it making the grout moldy...... causes her perception to possibly go something like this...... He doesn't love me..... He never does what i ask him to do..... I work way to hard around here to have to do all of these extra little things that could just be prevented by a few minutes of every ones time. Instead it will take me hours to do this when it gets moldy again. These perceptions come about do to each individuals perspective to that one specific issue....
Confused yet...............?
Just for the record..... we have no grout in our shower...... so this example is random. (Just in case you were wondering) What we've got here......is failure to communicate. (I couldn't pass that one up.... it is a famous line from the movie Cool Hand Luke click here for a little clip)
That failure is created by each individuals perspective of the situation that in turn develops each individuals perception of what was intended by the statement or actions. This can make for a really big problem for the couple if they do not have a good method of conflict resolution. (more about conflict resolution in another post)
So you ask..... go head ask..... I'm waiting. Oh you want to know how that situation could be avoided. Well it may be inevitable that the conflict will take place but if you ask me..... and you did..... here are a couple of pointers that could help.
The husband could say.... Honey what did you mean by that statement...... you might not receive a simple answer but you would start the dialogue rolling and most likely not from a hostile starting point. The wife may respond with.... what do you mean.... what did I mean? You would have to expound in order for there to be additional understanding.
The wife could start with..... Cleaning the grout is really difficult. When the shower is left wet the mildew grows a lot faster. Could you wipe the shower down when you are done? This would have helped set the perspective for the husband prior to the request being made. Most likely eliminating the perception problem caused by him not understanding where the statement was coming from.
Now you may be asking yourself do we always have to do that? It seems like a lot of work and a lot of words just to ensure there is no error in perception by providing the correct perspective. The answer is - you probably won't always have to do that. At some point the husband and wife should begin to understand each other and what perspective they are coming from. This takes time as in any relationship to get to know each other and how the other person operates or from what perspective they are coming from. This is true of any relationship not just husbands and wives. (This reminds me of a study on group or team development where the team goes through specific phases. Forming.... Storming..... Norming.... Conforming.... and Performing..... maybe I will post on that some other time as it has really good insight into how relationships develop in teams and small groups)
After the two have that conversation they may come up with a solution that requires less work to actually clean the grout and eliminate the need to actually wipe down the entire shower after each use. Making it a win.....win situation for both parties.
The important thing to remember is that most of the time we have our own very individualized perspective on things that occur. This intern adds to our very individualized perception and that can create problems if we react on our perception alone. We should learn to be patient..... do not be quick to jump to a conclusion or blame..... we should also be slow to anger....take a step back and look at things from a different angle before moving on. If we take the time to do that, many times we will have the opportunity to see things in a different light. I think maybe this is were the good advise of take a deep breath and count to 10 may have come from. Doing that really gives you time to weigh the possibilities before reacting in a way that could be detrimental. Remember once the words are spoken you can't take them back.
Here is a verse from Proverbs to contemplate in relation to this and our response....
Proverbs 19:11 (ASV)
11 The discretion of a man maketh him slow to anger; And it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
Up next How Perspective Effects our Perception part 3..... What perspective do we give when sharing the Gospel.
What examples do you have of conflict that may have happened because of perspective effecting someones perception. How did you resolve it.
From a relational PERSPECTIVE the things we spoke about earlier that shape our individual perspective will impact our perception of what is going on. Lets look at this one example of a husband and a wife interacting.
A wife asks the husband to wipe down the walls of the shower when he is finished. She knows that failing to do so causes mildew in the grout, a tough cleaning job - as she knows because she has been the one to clean it.
But the husband is surprised she mentioned it because he always thought the moisture in the shower quickly evaporated and never caused a problem. He sees her remark as critical and overreacting. He wonders if she has some other beef she's stewing on.
A new barrier to communication has just been erected - caused by differences in perspective.
His perspective no big deal it drys fast.
Her perspective big deal and cleaning the grout is a pain
Each of their perspectives causes an issue with PERCEPTION. He now perceives that she is being critical and overreacting and that there may be another issue..... This is based on his perspective that it will dry fast and is no big deal.
Now if he doesn't do it and goes on about his business because he doesn't think it is a big deal. His wife comes behind him and observes that it was in fact not done..... then her perspective of it making the grout moldy...... causes her perception to possibly go something like this...... He doesn't love me..... He never does what i ask him to do..... I work way to hard around here to have to do all of these extra little things that could just be prevented by a few minutes of every ones time. Instead it will take me hours to do this when it gets moldy again. These perceptions come about do to each individuals perspective to that one specific issue....
Confused yet...............?
Just for the record..... we have no grout in our shower...... so this example is random. (Just in case you were wondering) What we've got here......is failure to communicate. (I couldn't pass that one up.... it is a famous line from the movie Cool Hand Luke click here for a little clip)
That failure is created by each individuals perspective of the situation that in turn develops each individuals perception of what was intended by the statement or actions. This can make for a really big problem for the couple if they do not have a good method of conflict resolution. (more about conflict resolution in another post)
So you ask..... go head ask..... I'm waiting. Oh you want to know how that situation could be avoided. Well it may be inevitable that the conflict will take place but if you ask me..... and you did..... here are a couple of pointers that could help.
The husband could say.... Honey what did you mean by that statement...... you might not receive a simple answer but you would start the dialogue rolling and most likely not from a hostile starting point. The wife may respond with.... what do you mean.... what did I mean? You would have to expound in order for there to be additional understanding.
The wife could start with..... Cleaning the grout is really difficult. When the shower is left wet the mildew grows a lot faster. Could you wipe the shower down when you are done? This would have helped set the perspective for the husband prior to the request being made. Most likely eliminating the perception problem caused by him not understanding where the statement was coming from.
Now you may be asking yourself do we always have to do that? It seems like a lot of work and a lot of words just to ensure there is no error in perception by providing the correct perspective. The answer is - you probably won't always have to do that. At some point the husband and wife should begin to understand each other and what perspective they are coming from. This takes time as in any relationship to get to know each other and how the other person operates or from what perspective they are coming from. This is true of any relationship not just husbands and wives. (This reminds me of a study on group or team development where the team goes through specific phases. Forming.... Storming..... Norming.... Conforming.... and Performing..... maybe I will post on that some other time as it has really good insight into how relationships develop in teams and small groups)
After the two have that conversation they may come up with a solution that requires less work to actually clean the grout and eliminate the need to actually wipe down the entire shower after each use. Making it a win.....win situation for both parties.
The important thing to remember is that most of the time we have our own very individualized perspective on things that occur. This intern adds to our very individualized perception and that can create problems if we react on our perception alone. We should learn to be patient..... do not be quick to jump to a conclusion or blame..... we should also be slow to anger....take a step back and look at things from a different angle before moving on. If we take the time to do that, many times we will have the opportunity to see things in a different light. I think maybe this is were the good advise of take a deep breath and count to 10 may have come from. Doing that really gives you time to weigh the possibilities before reacting in a way that could be detrimental. Remember once the words are spoken you can't take them back.
Here is a verse from Proverbs to contemplate in relation to this and our response....
Proverbs 19:11 (ASV)
11 The discretion of a man maketh him slow to anger; And it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
Up next How Perspective Effects our Perception part 3..... What perspective do we give when sharing the Gospel.
What examples do you have of conflict that may have happened because of perspective effecting someones perception. How did you resolve it.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
How Perspective Effects our Perception part 1
How Perspective Effects our Perception......
While taking a look at perception it became clear that there are specific issues that occur in each of our lives that effect our perception. One of those things is our perspective..... perspective more or less determines from what angle we interpret the information that we collect or observe. This perspective can be impacted by many different factors in our lives. It may be shaped by the mood we are in...... are we happy, sad, hurt.....etc. Is there a particular event that occurred in our lives that may shade our perspective of what may be happening. This can manifest itself in many different ways. Even the emotions we feel can be more difficult for us to deal with because of these outside influences. Some people may feel that any anxiousness is difficult to deal with while others may describe anxiousness as a good feeling of anticipation. This would be based on their individual perspectives..... that were shaped by the experiences that each had as a result of the so called feeling of anxiousness.
Lets look at a definition of perspective:
Main Entry: perspective
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French, probably modification of Old Italian prospettiva, from prospetto view, prospect, from Latin prospectus — more at prospect
Date: 1563
1 a : the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye; specifically : representation in a drawing or painting of parallel lines as converging in order to give the illusion of depth and distance b : a picture in perspective
2 a : the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed; also : point of view b : the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance (urge you to maintain your perspective and to view your own task in a larger framework — W. J. Cohen)
3 a : a visible scene; especially : one giving a distinctive impression of distance : vista b : a mental view or prospect
4 : the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions
— per·spec·tiv·al \pər-ˈspek-ti-vəl, ˌpər-(ˌ)spek-ˈtī-vəl\ adjective
Click here for Merriam Webster page.
Lets look at a visual example of perspective and how the angle that we look at things impacts the image that our mind process. This is also true in our communication with others and our relationships. All of our experiences, previous perceptions, needs, wants, drives, memories, values, attitudes and other things such as our current emotional state combine together to more or less create our own individual perspective.
Take a look at this chalk drawing and tell me what it is.
Maybe you can tell what it is.... or what it is suppose to be a picture of.... but you can't really enjoy it. You cant see all of the detail and you definitely are not seeing what the artist intended you to see.
Now lets suppose we have no idea that this is not the way the artist intended us to see it. Lets suppose that we have never seen anything like this and neither our experience or knowledge tells us that we should look at it from a different perspective. So we walk away with a less than accurate view.... or perception of what is there. We are not particularly impressed nor would we have any reason to say that what we just observed was all that great from an art perspective. If someone had encouraged us to come see this we might even be aggravated that they were wasting our time because we don't have the right perspective.
Now suppose we ask some questions..... Hey what is that suppose to be? A friendly bystander...... maybe even the artist.... kindly points out that we are standing in the wrong place that we need to move over here in order to truly see what was intended. So with curiosity we move over to where the helpful bystander says we should look at it from...... and guess what! Oh my look at what we have now
It occurs to me that the best perspective is that of the artist that originally did the work or piece. That would also relate to other peoples actions in this situation as well. When someone says or does something the best perspective in which to interpret that action or statement is from the person that delivered it.
Now having said that..... it is not very often that we will always know the exact perspective in which the originator intended, however, with practice and experience we can find ourselves more likely to be able to determine that perspective.
Part 2 of How Perspective Effects Our Perception will give an example of husband and wife or relational interaction and how perspective effects our perception in those instances.
What are your thoughts on perspective?
While taking a look at perception it became clear that there are specific issues that occur in each of our lives that effect our perception. One of those things is our perspective..... perspective more or less determines from what angle we interpret the information that we collect or observe. This perspective can be impacted by many different factors in our lives. It may be shaped by the mood we are in...... are we happy, sad, hurt.....etc. Is there a particular event that occurred in our lives that may shade our perspective of what may be happening. This can manifest itself in many different ways. Even the emotions we feel can be more difficult for us to deal with because of these outside influences. Some people may feel that any anxiousness is difficult to deal with while others may describe anxiousness as a good feeling of anticipation. This would be based on their individual perspectives..... that were shaped by the experiences that each had as a result of the so called feeling of anxiousness.
Lets look at a definition of perspective:
Main Entry: perspective
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French, probably modification of Old Italian prospettiva, from prospetto view, prospect, from Latin prospectus — more at prospect
Date: 1563
1 a : the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye; specifically : representation in a drawing or painting of parallel lines as converging in order to give the illusion of depth and distance b : a picture in perspective
2 a : the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed
3 a : a visible scene; especially : one giving a distinctive impression of distance : vista b : a mental view or prospect
4 : the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions
— per·spec·tiv·al \pər-ˈspek-ti-vəl, ˌpər-(ˌ)spek-ˈtī-vəl\ adjective
Click here for Merriam Webster page.
Lets look at a visual example of perspective and how the angle that we look at things impacts the image that our mind process. This is also true in our communication with others and our relationships. All of our experiences, previous perceptions, needs, wants, drives, memories, values, attitudes and other things such as our current emotional state combine together to more or less create our own individual perspective.
Take a look at this chalk drawing and tell me what it is.
Maybe you can tell what it is.... or what it is suppose to be a picture of.... but you can't really enjoy it. You cant see all of the detail and you definitely are not seeing what the artist intended you to see.
Now lets suppose we have no idea that this is not the way the artist intended us to see it. Lets suppose that we have never seen anything like this and neither our experience or knowledge tells us that we should look at it from a different perspective. So we walk away with a less than accurate view.... or perception of what is there. We are not particularly impressed nor would we have any reason to say that what we just observed was all that great from an art perspective. If someone had encouraged us to come see this we might even be aggravated that they were wasting our time because we don't have the right perspective.
Now suppose we ask some questions..... Hey what is that suppose to be? A friendly bystander...... maybe even the artist.... kindly points out that we are standing in the wrong place that we need to move over here in order to truly see what was intended. So with curiosity we move over to where the helpful bystander says we should look at it from...... and guess what! Oh my look at what we have now
Whoa!!! Dude!!!! I couldn't see all of that from the other spot. No beach ball, no woman...in a pool.. holding a can of coke, no rubber duckie. Now it all makes sense and because I have the right perspective I now can see just how brilliant this artist is..... that is absolutely amazing. If we have the wrong perspective we not only miss the point we have no idea what is really intended or in this case just how great the object is we are looking at.
If you would like to see some additional art from this brilliant artist by the name of Julian Beever you can click here to truly be astounded.
It occurs to me that the best perspective is that of the artist that originally did the work or piece. That would also relate to other peoples actions in this situation as well. When someone says or does something the best perspective in which to interpret that action or statement is from the person that delivered it.
Now having said that..... it is not very often that we will always know the exact perspective in which the originator intended, however, with practice and experience we can find ourselves more likely to be able to determine that perspective.
Part 2 of How Perspective Effects Our Perception will give an example of husband and wife or relational interaction and how perspective effects our perception in those instances.
What are your thoughts on perspective?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Perception is NOT reality
Perception is NOT reality
I have heard the saying "Perception is reality" many, many times. It seems if nearly everyone has said it at one time or another. I cringe when I hear it said.... frankly because I know it is rarely if ever true. Those that continue to say it are allowing those which have bad perception, lets be honest that is a whole bunch of us, to kinda stay at a developmental level far beneath where we should be....... in all aspects of our lives. What do I mean by that? Well the saying is telling those around us that what we perceive to be true is OUR reality and that pretty much puts people in a state of denial if the ACTUAL reality (as if I have to expound on the word reality..... it is REALITY) is something other than what they perceive.
Bear with me here.... this is going to require a bit of thought on both of our parts to make these points. You can count on this being a multiple part blog post....but worth your time.
I am going to start with a definition of perception..... (go figure)
per·cep·tion
Pronunciation: \pər-ˈsep-shən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin perception-, perceptio act of perceiving, from percipere
Date: 14th century
1 a : a result of perceiving : observation b : a mental image : concept
2 obsolete : consciousness
3 a : awareness of the elements of environment through physical sensationb : physical sensation interpreted in the light of experience
4 a : quick, acute, and intuitive cognition
Dictionary Link click < HERE >
There ya go with a link above to Merriam - Websters dictionary to take a look at it yourself.
Do you see the text that I highlighted? In the light of experience...... that is where the break down takes place it is our experience...... that could be any experience past or present even the state of mind we are in when what we perceive occurs...... it could even be a lack of experience.
Our experience is what we use to shape the things we perceive and we can not count on that to consistently present the real facts, or reality to us.
Let me give you some examples of where and how perception can not be trusted. Perception should be used as a starting point for us to gather additional information before we assume anything. ( feel free to click on the word assume to get a definition)
We use to teach these lessons on a regular basis..... the benefit of not jumping to conclusion because things aren't always as they seem. Why because our perception fails us most of the time.
Remember the story of Chicken Little? That is a pretty good example how a lack of knowledge and experience impacts Chicken Little's perception of what happened when an acorn fell on his head. His perception of the situation led to the assumption that the sky was falling and to Chicken Little's reality that the sky was falling. Chicken Little's perception of the situation was wrong, Chicken Little then allowed that perception to become his own reality and then he spreads this to everyone. As a result of his perception becoming his reality things begin to fall apart.
Here is a very interesting take on the Chicken Little Story done in 1943 by the Walt Disney company it is a short 8 minute cartoon I would take a moment to watch it before you read on.
Below is another example of how our perception can fail us. This was originally done by a M.I.T professor and at the bottom of the following charts you will find a link to the page for him and the examples that were used here.
Take a close look at the picture below. While examining it ask yourself....... self...... which of the horse heads or the lighter of the two?
If you look at the two horse heads on the board you are saying to yourself the one on the white square in the middle of the board is the lightest of the two. But is it? Because of the way the picture is set up with the shadows and shading of the cylinder it alters our perception. Our eyes tell us that the one in the middle of the board on the white square is the lightest. The reality....... both horses are the EXACT same shade and color. Oh you disagree..... you are positive that what I am telling you is wrong.... you say that you can see it and you know that the one in the middle of the board is the lightest of the two. This is where perception has become your reality and based on what you have perceived....( data collected by your senses) you are sure of your answer maybe even willing to take a stand and argue your position on it.
Here is where I can say..... well "perception is reality" and leave you with your reality that is not TRUE or I can take the time to show you that in fact the sky is not falling and here is the REALITY of the situation.
Okay the two pics below are close ups of the board and with a little pop out to help you see that in fact they are the same shade or color. The pic on the right has a little box that is moved to the horse head in the middle to show you the comparison of the two...... see they are the same shade.
I have heard the saying "Perception is reality" many, many times. It seems if nearly everyone has said it at one time or another. I cringe when I hear it said.... frankly because I know it is rarely if ever true. Those that continue to say it are allowing those which have bad perception, lets be honest that is a whole bunch of us, to kinda stay at a developmental level far beneath where we should be....... in all aspects of our lives. What do I mean by that? Well the saying is telling those around us that what we perceive to be true is OUR reality and that pretty much puts people in a state of denial if the ACTUAL reality (as if I have to expound on the word reality..... it is REALITY) is something other than what they perceive.
Bear with me here.... this is going to require a bit of thought on both of our parts to make these points. You can count on this being a multiple part blog post....but worth your time.
I am going to start with a definition of perception..... (go figure)
per·cep·tion
Pronunciation: \pər-ˈsep-shən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin perception-, perceptio act of perceiving, from percipere
Date: 14th century
1 a : a result of perceiving : observation b : a mental image : concept
2 obsolete : consciousness
3 a : awareness of the elements of environment through physical sensation
4 a : quick, acute, and intuitive cognition
Dictionary Link click < HERE >
There ya go with a link above to Merriam - Websters dictionary to take a look at it yourself.
Do you see the text that I highlighted? In the light of experience...... that is where the break down takes place it is our experience...... that could be any experience past or present even the state of mind we are in when what we perceive occurs...... it could even be a lack of experience.
Our experience is what we use to shape the things we perceive and we can not count on that to consistently present the real facts, or reality to us.
Let me give you some examples of where and how perception can not be trusted. Perception should be used as a starting point for us to gather additional information before we assume anything. ( feel free to click on the word assume to get a definition)
We use to teach these lessons on a regular basis..... the benefit of not jumping to conclusion because things aren't always as they seem. Why because our perception fails us most of the time.
Remember the story of Chicken Little? That is a pretty good example how a lack of knowledge and experience impacts Chicken Little's perception of what happened when an acorn fell on his head. His perception of the situation led to the assumption that the sky was falling and to Chicken Little's reality that the sky was falling. Chicken Little's perception of the situation was wrong, Chicken Little then allowed that perception to become his own reality and then he spreads this to everyone. As a result of his perception becoming his reality things begin to fall apart.
Here is a very interesting take on the Chicken Little Story done in 1943 by the Walt Disney company it is a short 8 minute cartoon I would take a moment to watch it before you read on.
Below is another example of how our perception can fail us. This was originally done by a M.I.T professor and at the bottom of the following charts you will find a link to the page for him and the examples that were used here.
Take a close look at the picture below. While examining it ask yourself....... self...... which of the horse heads or the lighter of the two?
If you look at the two horse heads on the board you are saying to yourself the one on the white square in the middle of the board is the lightest of the two. But is it? Because of the way the picture is set up with the shadows and shading of the cylinder it alters our perception. Our eyes tell us that the one in the middle of the board on the white square is the lightest. The reality....... both horses are the EXACT same shade and color. Oh you disagree..... you are positive that what I am telling you is wrong.... you say that you can see it and you know that the one in the middle of the board is the lightest of the two. This is where perception has become your reality and based on what you have perceived....( data collected by your senses) you are sure of your answer maybe even willing to take a stand and argue your position on it.
Here is where I can say..... well "perception is reality" and leave you with your reality that is not TRUE or I can take the time to show you that in fact the sky is not falling and here is the REALITY of the situation.
Okay the two pics below are close ups of the board and with a little pop out to help you see that in fact they are the same shade or color. The pic on the right has a little box that is moved to the horse head in the middle to show you the comparison of the two...... see they are the same shade.
Okay some of you still don't buy it.... and you are saying well they can do anything with computers now and I know what I saw and I don't care what they say........THEY ARE NOT THE SAME SHADE. Well they are and that is what a lot of us do when we want our perception to be reality. We cross our arms..... dig our heels in and continue to hold on to our reality. I am going to give you another pic to help convince you that they are in fact the same shade then the links to the experts that developed this whole picture example with some additional information.
Okay here is the last pic here are the two horse heads being moved from one location to the other...... as you can see as the two cross each other they are the same color or shade. Once the one from the top moves in to the shaded area of the cylinder it again appears to be lighter than the one in the top position. There you have it again they are in fact the same color or shade. If you don't believe me now..... well then to be honest with you I can't really help you. For those of you that understand and agree that they are the same color or shade you can now say because of this experience.... given the opportunity to see this again in the future your perception would now be altered by this experience and your answer to the first question of which of the two horse heads are lighter? Your answer would be..... they are the same color or shade..... Wow you guys are so smart. You can click here and here to see the sources explaining this phenomena.
It occurs to me that the Bible should be the best teacher of the fact that perception is not reality. There are so many example of what was perceived to be..... was actually not the reality of what was.....
Couple of simple examples..... I am sure if you take a few moment you could come up with many examples in the Bible where perception was not reality......
The Pharisees were perceived to know God..... and know more about God than anyone. They took pride in the fact that they were the most knowledgeable of all.
The reality..... knowing about God...... does not necessarily equal knowing God or having a closeness with him. They were so far away from God that they did not even recognize his own Son.
Lets Take Jesus..... The perception was that he was a rabble rouser...... partier..... hung out with the wrong crowd..... there was no way he was close to God and in a lot of peoples mind during that time he couldn't have known much about God either.
The reality....... He was God..... no one had a closer relationship with God than him...... fully human and fully God. He hung with the people that needed salvation with the very people that were perceived to be the worthless ones.... unimportant and not worth saving..... even bad........The Pharisee's would have said they are not as good as we are.
Matthew 9:11-13 (ESV)
11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Bottom line....... perception is NOT reality. We have to look a little deeper to get to reality.... take the time don't just assume and if you find someone that has bad perception help them find the reality so they can move on in truth.
What are some examples that you have where your perception has not been reality?
Part II ----- How Perspective Effects Our Perception ------will be comming up next. We will take a look at perspective, what it means, how it effects what we perceive etc....... until then don't take any wooden nickles.
It occurs to me that the Bible should be the best teacher of the fact that perception is not reality. There are so many example of what was perceived to be..... was actually not the reality of what was.....
Couple of simple examples..... I am sure if you take a few moment you could come up with many examples in the Bible where perception was not reality......
The Pharisees were perceived to know God..... and know more about God than anyone. They took pride in the fact that they were the most knowledgeable of all.
The reality..... knowing about God...... does not necessarily equal knowing God or having a closeness with him. They were so far away from God that they did not even recognize his own Son.
Lets Take Jesus..... The perception was that he was a rabble rouser...... partier..... hung out with the wrong crowd..... there was no way he was close to God and in a lot of peoples mind during that time he couldn't have known much about God either.
The reality....... He was God..... no one had a closer relationship with God than him...... fully human and fully God. He hung with the people that needed salvation with the very people that were perceived to be the worthless ones.... unimportant and not worth saving..... even bad........The Pharisee's would have said they are not as good as we are.
Matthew 9:11-13 (ESV)
11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Bottom line....... perception is NOT reality. We have to look a little deeper to get to reality.... take the time don't just assume and if you find someone that has bad perception help them find the reality so they can move on in truth.
What are some examples that you have where your perception has not been reality?
Part II ----- How Perspective Effects Our Perception ------will be comming up next. We will take a look at perspective, what it means, how it effects what we perceive etc....... until then don't take any wooden nickles.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Mothers Day..... Fathers Day.....
Okay this is totally for fun.... I saw this about a week ago on a blog that I follow. It has now started to show up on FB in the last couple of days. I wanted to share this cause it is just plain fun.......... So here ya go! If you have seen it... well it is worth watching again. These videos come from a Church that used them during mothers and fathers day. They did a really great job....... laugh it is the best medicine.
Mommy Rhapsody from Church on the Move on Vimeo.
This one is for dads
Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.
Very creative and fun.... wish I had thought of this....... :)
Mommy Rhapsody from Church on the Move on Vimeo.
This one is for dads
Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.
Very creative and fun.... wish I had thought of this....... :)
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Do You Really Know Our National Anthem?
The Star Spangled Banner written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, Our National Anthem..... I bet there are a few versus here you have never heard.
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
I really like the last verse! Which one is your favorite?
I am going to leave you with this, it a song from Billy Dean while you listen to this song. Remember all the men and women that lived and died for this country. Those that stood with uncompromising values and beliefs. Beliefs in a higher power, authority, direction..... God and his sovereign hand of direction upon us. We should all get on our knees and pray for the wonderful blessings that God has given us and for his continued guidance..... we should repent of our lack of reliance on him.... and we should lift up all of the Saints as we continue to do Gods will in this great country. All it takes is for good men to do nothing. What are you doing?
BILLY DEAN - "WAVE ON OH GLORY WAVE ON" from MARCEL on Vimeo.
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
I really like the last verse! Which one is your favorite?
I am going to leave you with this, it a song from Billy Dean while you listen to this song. Remember all the men and women that lived and died for this country. Those that stood with uncompromising values and beliefs. Beliefs in a higher power, authority, direction..... God and his sovereign hand of direction upon us. We should all get on our knees and pray for the wonderful blessings that God has given us and for his continued guidance..... we should repent of our lack of reliance on him.... and we should lift up all of the Saints as we continue to do Gods will in this great country. All it takes is for good men to do nothing. What are you doing?
BILLY DEAN - "WAVE ON OH GLORY WAVE ON" from MARCEL on Vimeo.
Friday, July 2, 2010
I'm A Working Man......I Get Things Done.......
Last night was a really great opportunity to worship God and have a great time with..... I would say a couple hundred other believers in Christ.
The occasion NewWorldSon for those of you that have no idea who these guys are let me give you a little background on them.
In the fall of 2007, the band was invited to open for the newsboys on their hugely successful GO Tour across America. Though their name was circling within the industry, they were virtually unknown to music fans around the country. Undaunted, they took the stage by storm night after night, blindsiding the crowd with the opening bars to their hit song “Working Man” (which soon afterwards shot to Number 1 on the Gospel Music Channel’s video charts). Seeing how rapidly the band was winning fans, the newsboys asked Newworldson to join them again on the tour’s spring leg the following year. Doors opened internationally in 2008 when they were booked to headline festivals in Australia, Germany, Holland and Sweden. See the rest of their bio and web site by clicking here.
So here we are in what I would describe as an intimate venue for what I knew would be a great time of music. I have been to many venues to hear and see Christian bands and you can be sure they are going to play music......but you are never sure they are going to be seeking God while they are doing it. I am here to tell you that NewWorldSon was on a mission to seek God from the minute they got on stage. They were also there to help bring us all into the presence of God. They did it with great skill and honor to the Lord. Not only is their music God honoring but it is some of the best music I have heard and in a style that is all their own.
I first came across NewWorldSon in early 2009. It was late one night and I could not sleep. I turned on the television and was watching the Gospel Music Channel. Well this is the group that came on, I couldn't set down, I hadn't heard anything like it. I have heard gospel, southern gospel, funk, ska, jazz, blues, and on and on and on. This was a pleasant mix of several genres and well done, I got up and danced around (in the privacy of my own living room). I went to the computer and googled them, I got no results.... I thought that was odd, then went to YouTube and no results. I then spent the next few months looking for their CD to no avail. I cannot vouch for if they were on iTunes cause I don't like iTunes at all however I looked on other digital media sites that I use on a regular basis and could not find them at all. Here is a video of them on the Gospel Music Channel just to give you a little taste of what they do.
So my search continued, a few months later my wife was headed to the christian book store in Winter Haven and I asked her to look for their CD and if they had it to get it. I guess I didn't make myself clear cause when she got back she said they did have it, but she had gotten Need to Breathe (not a bad choice) and Jonny Diaz (while an awesome artist... for me it was not as good a choice as Need to Breathe and NewWorldSon would have been) but all I could say at that point to her is: "There could never be a more beautiful you" and go on about my buisness.... clearly I had not conveyed the awesomeness of this band so I would continue to look for them. I did locate them at http://www.walmart.com/ downloaded the mp3's of their first album and was blown away by the fact that all the songs ROCKED! Earlier this year I even put a couple of their songs on the countdown loops that we play at our contempary service at FBC Sebring. Well after playing it a couple of times for my wife and a few others they agreed with me......yea me....yea NewWorldSon they are awesome.
That brings us to last night. A friend and great worship leader (at Bible Fellowship Church) and man of God.... Harry Havery was by the grace of God (a story that he tells very well about how all this came together) was able to make this show happen. Man it was worth it! The night started with the opening group Slaps for Pappy (a group that Harry himself put together). Slaps for Pappy were pretty sweet and set the tone for an awesome night. Then it was time for NewWorldSon and the rest is history if you were there than you know it was just about as good as it can get. If you were not there then maybe you have an interest for them and will get some of their music from one of the links. Either way it is great music from a great band that loves the Lord.
Here are a couple of pics taken on my phone from the LIVE concert last night.
So there ya have it great time in the presence of God with great people what more could you ask for on a Thursday night?
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