Crystal Clear

Communication is a fascinating experience.
Today we communicate more than ever through the wonders of email, blogging, texting, phone calling and actual face to face conversations. An interesting aside to this is that we communicate more and ultimately connect less. (That's a subject for another blog...)
We also communicate through what are called "non-verbal" cues. The rolling of the eyes, the crossing of arms, the far away look that clouds over a person's eyes and you immediately know "the lights are on but no one is home."
When I preached every Sunday I was always amused by some of the comments at the door after the service. "That was a great sermon on...." And what they would say about the sermon had nothing to do with what I thought I was preaching on.
Here's our conundrum...
I think about what I intend to say, I say what I intend to say, I think I said it.
You audibly hear what I just said. You read into it what you want to hear. You walk away knowing exactly what you thought I said. In the end we have not communicated at all.

We had a "productivity expert" come to the office last week who worked with us on communication. Evidently I have a hard time being very direct with my colleagues on exactly what I need and when I need it.

My assignment from now on is to begin my directives with, "I need...."
After I have started with that, I must end with "Are we clear?"

Our consultant loves movies. He got all excited because my exercise is right out of the movie "A Few Good Men" starring Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon.

Colonel Jessup (Jack Nicholson) is on the stand and he asks Kaffee (Tom Cruise), "Are we clear?"
Kaffee: "Yes sir."
Jessup: "Are we clear?"
Kaffee: "Crystal..."

This has become our new code word in the office. When I ask for something, then I am supposed to say, "Are we clear?" to which the response has to be "Crystal."

My iWitness...

We live in a foggy world. People lie. People distort the truth. People fabricate stories. People make stuff up. People interpret things, events, occasions and people through a lens that serves only one purpose... their own. Our world is full of shades of gray.

And then there's Jesus...

A man who is not black and white in His approach to life but rather full of color.
A man of truth...of hope... of care... of tenderness...of  brilliance...of a furious love that is fueled by His unconditional love, grace and mercy for you and me.

Let's be clear about a few things today...
I don't know where you are coming from today
But we do know where Jesus comes from...
And Jesus comes to us right where we are sitting or standing at this very moment and puts his nail scarred hands that created the world on our cheeks and looks deeply into our eyes and says,

"I have a word for you. I know your whole life story. I know every skeleton in your closet. I know every moment of sin, shame, dishonesty and degraded love that has darkened your past. Right now I know your shallow faith, your feeble prayer life, your inconsistent discipleship. And my word is this: I dare you to trust that I love you just as you are, and not as you should be. Because you're never going to be as you should be."

Are we clear?

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and fear not!
David!

"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3. 16)

ps - Credit goes to Brennan Manning for the above quote about Jesus having a word for us...