And the Spiritual Gifts Are As Follows: Teaching, Service, Algebra...

God created two kinds of people: right-brained and left-brained. Actually, God created many types of people, but the job of a writer is immensely easier if the contrasts are limited to two. Obviously there are short and tall people; thin people and big-boned people; people who waste precious time and money on hair care and those who’s hair dries before they exit the shower; and, people come in various colors and accents and drive on different sides of the road. In reality we are a multi and varied lot. Scripture points this out in several places, none more vivid than when addressing the various spiritual gifts provided to people. Have you noticed, however, how down right churchy the spiritual gifts sound? You got your preachers, your teachers, your music people; you got your mercy-sharing people and you got your witnessers; you got your prophets and you got your behind-the-scenes-people that take up the offering, hand out the juice and them tiny crackers that taste like the cook left something out, and the people who love to put chairs out. Have you ever wondered why something like algebra or fixing cars or pharmacy isn’t considered spiritual gifts? I have.

In 7^th grade, I decided I was going to be a lawyer and I almost made it (a completely different article). I majored in Criminal Justice and took one law school course while still in college (a fluke). I loved the way attorneys represented people by using oratorical skills and mastery of the law (gleaned from a childhood of watching television). I also checked and found that few, if any, math skills were necessary. I was terrible in all things math. I am right-brained and my people tend to trip all over rhythmic geometry and free style ciphering. If I could become a successful lawyer and not have to take math in the process I would be happier than Perry Mason at the bar association buffet. Alas, as they say, I didn’t fulfill my childhood dream of math-free law school; nor did I enter a field devoid of math as I was forced to take several statistics classes. Things worked out OK though because lawyers are required to understand the tax code and how to bill in increments of minutes, both of which require a skill in math or, in hiring gifted assistants.

I’ve also decided that all vocations can be extensions of spiritual gifts and God’s call for everyone to serve the Kingdom. It’s a fallacy to believe only the professional clergy are supposed to serve God as a vocation. If you’re a lawyer, serve God as a lawyer. If you’re a medical professional, serve God through medicine. If you’re a math teacher, serve God by whatever it is you do, but be kind and graceful to all those odd, right-brained, math-impaired budding preachers and attorneys you run across. Believe it or not, they do come in handy now and again. And, no matter what you do as a vocation…do it for God. You are a spiritual gift!

Michael McCullar

Turning the "Page"

There are many ways to view the annual ritual of passing from one year to another. For our purposes let’s use the noun page, as in turning the page from one year to the next. As we merge years and experience January we tend to look back and analyze the just-past year, and look forward to a new year of opportunities. The idea of making a resolution(s) to correct an issue or to improve life and health is part of the rite of passage from one year to the next. Studies have shown that the majority of Americans make at least one resolution each year. Studies have also demonstrated our lack of follow-through and commitment to our new goals. In short, the majority of us fail to honor our goals and, to make matters even more depressing, we fail rather quickly. I went on a strict diet one year and actually did well for several weeks; only to fall prey to an apple pie during a week of few, to zero, carbohydrates. I’m talking the pie; not just a piece.

We fail for many reasons, mainly due to attempting to change our strongest weakness. Life change is rough stuff, especially when we are battling our own personal demons. Another reason for quick failure is impatience. Are you inherently impatient? A quick test is the elevator: when you enter an elevator do you become impatient and irritated because the door doesn’t close fast enough? Do you push the close button several times, only to become even more irritated when a late arriving person pushes the open button as they attempt to join you for your ride? If you answered yes to either question you are indeed impatient, and as a result you will likely fail to keep your resolution; especially if it had anything to do with patience. We need less stress in life. We need reachable goals that actually lead to a better life. We need the sweet taste of success, not the bitter taste of failure. We need to move past apple pie and resolve to read more in 2011.

Reading is a low stress endeavor that can improve the quality of life. There is so much from which to choose virtually everyone can succeed in reading more. Plus, the paper and ink book is now sharing time with the electronic version. In seconds you can download an entire book and read it from your phone. Not even George Jetson could do that! I browsed a bookstore to note the varied titles available and came away with quite a list: The History of Salt (could be interesting, it’s been around a long time); The Science of Kissing (pretty sure it’s not actually a science): The New Evolution Diet (probably takes a million years to lose those last five pounds); A is for Armageddon (can’t wait for the sequel, B is for…); You Might Be a Zombie & Other Bad News ( maybe for a rainy day, but not at night for sure); and, The Carb Lovers Diet (been there, done that, ended up with apple pie all over my face, not gonna read this one).

Pick a book; pick a genre; turn the page on a new year with a new book and feel the stress ebb away. And, there’s always the Bible. Can’t go wrong there. Check out the new version titled The Story; a rendering of the Bible in free flowing story form. Scripture will change your life; other books will change your life; the beauty is that your life will be changed in different ways when you read both. That’s like 2 for 1. And who isn’t looking for a great deal in the new year?

Michael McCullar