Barb Sherrill

When All Isn't Merry and Bright

Barb Sherrill — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:41:13 -0800

I can’t believe how fast Christmas got here.

When I hear myself say that, I realize that, yes, I am turning out to be my mother. I remember as a kid my mother (and father and grandparents and aunts and uncles and teachers–basically, all the adults in my circle of existence) saying the very same thing: Christmas got here so fast!

As a child, I never believed them, of course. Christmas always came painfully slow, and I never thought there would come a day I would share the sentiment that somehow Christmas could arrive too quickly.

Yeah, well.

I doubt I’m alone in feeling that fast-arriving Christmas is bittersweet this year. The joy of the season is tempered by a battered economy, job losses, war, uncertainty. I want to feel festive and merry, but sometimes I’m finding it difficult.

Until I realize that Jesus didn’t come to a festive and merry world. When He arrived in Israel, the country was occupied by Romans, the Jews had been looking for Messiah for hundreds of years (and he didn’t seem to be coming), and the covenanted people of God hadn’t heard from Him in a very long time. It was definitely not the best of times for the people of Israel.

And that’s the point. Jesus didn’t come because all was merry and bright. He came because it was not. Jesus, God with us, the light that shines in the darkness, is the one, true, good, eternally life-changing thing that happened in this often wreck of a world we live in. And His birth, His arrival here on earth, that we can celebrate and thank God the Father for, no matter what’s going on out there.

So, while the global mood might be putting a damper on my merrymaking, it has also uniquely and amazingly deepened the significance of Christ’s birth. I know the angel’s words "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people" sound extra sweet to me this year.

Merry Christmas, everyone. I truly mean that.

Beware the 24-Hour News Cycle

Barb Sherrill — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:56:53 -0800

I took some advice from a blog I read yesterday.

It was a post from Mike Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers (you’ll find it here: http://www.michaelhyatt.com/fromwhereisit/2008/12/a-self-imposed.html). Basically, Mike was proposing a break from the news—news that was all bad and over which he had no control.

I had actually been thinking about the very same thing on my drive in to work yesterday morning. My national friends Matt, Meredith, and Al (along with my local friends Marc, Kelli, and Brent) had put me in a cranky mood with their reports of layoffs, bailouts, murders, and corrupt politicians. For over an hour that morning, while I was getting ready for work, I heard nothing but bad news—bad news I am powerless to change.

And this has been going on for several weeks now.

No wonder I’m cranky.

As I drove in to work yesterday, it hit me that “cranky” isn’t going to help me deal with any of the troubles of the day. “Cranky” isn’t creative problem-solving. “Cranky” does nothing but make me miserable (as well as those who have to be around me!).

And then I read Mike’s post about taking a break from the news, and I thought, “That could help.”

So, this morning I did not tune in to my friends Matt, Meredith, Al, Marc, Kelli, and Brent. Instead, I tuned in to the local radio station playing continuous Christmas hits. I sang along with Karen Carpenter on “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays” (who can’t sing along with Karen when that song comes on?!) and when Andy Williams started to belt out “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!” I was transported back to happy childhood Christmas memories.

And I wasn’t cranky on my drive in to work this morning.

My news fast isn’t going to last forever. Fasts aren’t designed to last forever. And I’m not naïve about the problems that are out there. But what I am doing is building some margin in my life to help me face those problems--because the human psyche was not built for the 24-hour news cycle. We need a break. We really do.

So, for a little while, on with the Christmas tunes and off with the news!

Although, if I hear George Michael’s “Last Christmas” one more time, I am going to be cranky.

TV Quote of the Week

Barb Sherrill — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:33:26 -0800

“That’s what life is…you gotta keep moving forward. Even when you know there’s some bad stuff waiting for you—years or weeks or maybe days down the road. You keep moving forward. Because even when you think you know what’s going to happen, it doesn’t always. That’s what hope is made of.”

Eli Stone
Eli Stone

I’m on an Eli Stone kick at the moment. I think because I’m still mourning the cancellation of that little gem of a show.

The quote above comes from Tuesday night’s episode. Eli is talking to his 16-year-old client, a teenage boy who had just found out his multiple sclerosis has progressed. Eli, who has a brain aneurysm that could kill him at any moment, knows what it feels like to be faced with a hard and scary unknown, so when the boy asks him what to do when looking at his uncertain future, Eli responds, “Keep moving forward.”

I like that.

Because, really, what’s the other option?

I also like that Eli brings hope into the mix. Of all people, he is a man who thought he knew what was going to happen, and, boy howdy, it certainly didn’t. God intervened. And He intervened in a way Eli never would have expected.

I really like that.

As a believer, I find hope in the God factor. It doesn’t mean that years or weeks or days down the road that bad stuff won’t be waiting for me, but it does mean that even when I think I know what’s going to happen, it doesn’t always. God can intervene…and in ways I never would have expected.

And that’s what hope is made of.

Goodbye, Eli Stone

Barb Sherrill — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:01:26 -0800

So I found out yesterday one of my new favorite tv shows has been canceled: Eli Stone.

Sigh.

If you haven’t watched the show (and since low ratings is the reason the show got canceled, there’s a good chance you haven’t), Eli Stone is the story of a lawyer who had it all–high-paying, high-powered corporate job, beautiful fiancee, amazing apartment, a car to die for–until he started having visions.

And his first vision, of all things, was George Michael singing in his living room.

It's a quirky show.

Turns out, Eli’s visions were brought on by a brain aneurysm. It also turns out that Eli’s visions were brought on by God.

Eli’s visions caused problems in his life. Those around him thought he had gone nuts, and his visions asked him to take on problems and cases that often made no sense...at first. In fact, following his visions cost Eli a lot–his high-paying, high-powered corporate job, his beautiful fiancee, even his sanity at times–but in the process he found his soul.

I love this show.

There aren’t too many programs on television at the moment that even consider God part of the equation. A side note here: never get theology from a tv show. Admittedly, Eli Stone plays fast and loose with the concept of God. But what I thought was so interesting about this show is that encounters with God, often through visions that contain song-and-dance numbers, don’t initially make sense, are powerful enough to cause dramatic life change, demand obedience of Eli, and cost our hero everything.

Kind of like Moses with his burning bush...or Paul on that Damascus road.

And as I watch Eli respond to those nonsensical visions each week, I can’t help but be reminded that I’ve had an encounter with God as well.

And I have to ask myself, am I living like I’ve seen a burning bush, or a great light, or even George Michael singing in my living room?

Am I willing to obey God’s call, even if it doesn’t make sense?

No matter the cost?

Thanks for the reminder, Eli. I’m going to miss you.

The Day After

Barb Sherrill — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:52:08 -0800

You can guess what I watched on tv last night.

We saw history made. In our lifetime. That doesn’t happen just any day of the week.

Perhaps you woke up this morning with a feeling of dread about where our country is headed. Perhaps you woke up this morning with a feeling of hope about where our country is headed.

I woke up this morning feeling one of those ways, and it got me to thinking about what do I do now? The unprecedented election is over, and we have a President-elect who is about to inherit a mess.

We also have believers on both sides of this election. What do we do now?

We pray for President-elect Obama. And no, I don’t mean praying that he’ll change his mind on issues we don’t see eye-to-eye on. I’m talking about praying for the man, no strings attached. Praying for his wisdom and discernment, that he surrounds himself with capable and compassionate cabinet members and advisors. Praying for his marriage and family, that his wife and children will be a source of strength, comfort, and joy to him in the days and years ahead. Praying for his leadership skills, that he won’t tire in the face of great opposition. Praying for his role in international affairs, that both our country and the world will respond. Praying for his health, that his body will be able to stand the rigors of office.

I’d love to see us as Christians pray for President-elect Obama without a personal agenda, without ulterior motives. Let’s pray for him first and foremost, as a man, as a world leader, as a husband and father.

Can we do that as believers?

Yes, we can.

On Election Eve

Barb Sherrill — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:18:31 -0800

Tomorrow is the day.

And unless you’ve been living under a rock here in America, you know what I’m talking about.

On this Election Eve, I’ve been pondering a few things. No matter how the election turns out tomorrow…

…a lot of the country will be upset.

…we will have an unprecedented President-elect/Vice President-elect combo.

...most Americans will be glad, at least, that the election is over so our leaders can get down to the business of leading and perhaps move on to tackling some other, pressing issues.

…political commercial season will be done!

As an avid tv watcher, I say “amen” to that last one.

Happy Election Eve, Everyone. Be sure to vote tomorrow.

Barb and the Shock Jock, Part 2

Barb Sherrill — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:10:32 -0700

The conservative shock jock I mentioned the other day is at it again (why do people keep sending me this stuff?!). She’s posted an article that basically says if a believer votes for Obama, they should do us all a favor and quit calling themselves a Christian.

Wow. Last time I checked (in the Bible, no less), my Christianity was defined by my relationship with Jesus, not my voting record.

I learned a new word at church last night—homothumadon. It’s a Greek word and it means “with one mind,” “with one accord,” “with one passion.” It is a compound of two words meaning to “rush along” and “in unison,” and it shows up 10 times in the Book of Acts in connection with the early church.

Wow. I don’t think we’d be able to use that word in connection with the 21^st-century church. At all.

Where did we go wrong? When did it become okay to point fingers and name-call within the body of Christ? When did we start ignoring Jesus’ simple statement that the world will know we follow Him by our love for each other (John 13:35)?

I don’t have all the answers to those questions (although I have done a lot of thinking along those lines and have some thoughts on the issue), but I do have hope. It seems to me there’s a movement in Christianity, in the church in America, to quit the squabbling, the territory-protecting, the anger and bitterness, the us-vs.-them mentality, and to aspire to homothumadon—to one mind and one passion as believers. To aspire to make Jesus known. We may be in the minority at the moment, but I sense (and hope and pray!) it’s going to grow. I sense it by the believers I’ve met and talked with over the past couple of years about these very matters. I sense it in some of the fresh voices writing about the church in America and western Christianity. I sense it in some of the blogs and posts I’ve read on this website.

We are never going to be perfect in the body of Christ. We are never all going to agree. We are never all going to completely understand each other. But rather than fixating on that, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus (I love that phrase!) and aspire to something beyond Republican and Democrat, beyond viewpoints and rhetoric, and even beyond our very strong opinions and passions about certain things (basically, Lord, get us out of the way of what You would have us do!).

How would we change the world if we aspired to homothumadon?

We just might, like our first-century brothers and sisters did, turn it upside down.

In the Land of No TV

Barb Sherrill — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:07:57 -0700

So, I spent a long weekend recently with my younger sister and her family in the Land of No TV.

They have a television set, mind you (three of them, actually), but they don’t subscribe to a cable service, and where they’re located in somewhat rural Illinois, tv by antenna doesn’t really exist.

They gave up cable service several years ago, for a variety of reasons (some of which I actually understand, though I’m not sure I could ever endorse a cable-free existence), and with tv on DVD (via a NetFlix subscription) and online options (unlike me, they DO have high-speed internet—which they started to lecture me about, but I was quick to point out that those with no cable should not throw internet connection stones), they feel they haven’t really missed much…and have gained a lot.

My recent visit to the Land of No TV lasted four days, and in that time, I discovered that while I missed watching my favorite shows when they aired, there were a couple of things I did NOT miss…

Commercials. And at this time of year, political commercials in particular. Honestly, if all commercials would be as mildly humorous and entertaining as the “Hi, I’m a Mac. And I’m a PC” variety, I wouldn’t mind so much. But for the most part, commercials are annoying time-wasters that have me worrying way too much about my body odor, my hair color, and my jeans size (and, I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but they’re taking up more time in network television than ever before). In the Land of No TV, my nephews are more than happy to inform me if I smell bad and my family gives me a lot of grace when it comes to my hair color and jeans size.

News. I realize I need to be informed. I realize I need to understand what’s going on in the world at large and in the country in which I live. But you know what else I realized? I do not need news 24 hours a day. I do not need CNN/MSNBC/FOX/etc. going over and over and over and over and over the same stories, the same talking heads, the same “breaking news” (which, I think, is a phrase that has lost all meaning in the 21^st century). In the Land of No TV, I read the local paper every morning (I can tell you who got arrested in Galesburg!) and I have the Internet to check every once in a while…and believe it or not, the world did not stop because Barb wasn’t up on (and worrying about!) every jot and tittle going on in the planet.

Like I say, I’m not ready for the cable-free lifestyle, but it is nice to visit the Land of No TV from time to time. My head clears for a little bit. I find some perspective.

Perhaps next time, I’ll make my visit to the Land of No TV a staycation and unplug my own set for a while. Could be good.

A Good Place to Start

Barb Sherrill — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:25:45 -0700

I watched an appalling video on YouTube yesterday.

It was by a right-wing shock jock. She was posing as a news anchor, reporting on national and international conditions after the election of Barack Obama as president. Her lead story told of the celebration by terrorists in the Middle East upon hearing the news that Obama was now president, adding a “quote” from a terrorist leader that they had never been so happy since 9/11.

I don’t care what your political leanings are—that’s not funny or clever or satirical. That’s offensive.

Her news report went on with stories of happy pro-abortion leaders (one who was pictured as a crazy-looking woman holding a sign that said, “Kill, Kill”) as well as a mean-spirited parody of Michelle Obama.

I stopped watching at that point (it was about halfway through the video).

I get it. Shock jocks earn their living by taking harsh (and unkind and ugly) pot shots at those they oppose. Most of the time I ignore them (whether they’re coming from the left or the right). What I found appalling about this particular video was that this shock jock is an outspoken Christian. She’s published books. She speaks across the country. She appears on cable news networks as a spokesperson for the conservative right.

What I also found appalling is that the person who forwarded the link to this video (also a believer) to a group of us (all of whom are believers) thought we would enjoy it.

There is a lot of bemoaning and angst in Christianity today (particularly in western Christianity) that Christians are no different from their secular counterparts. We watch the same TV and go to the same movies. We dress the same. We get divorced and sleep around as much as the next guy. We lie, cheat, and steal in pretty much the same percentages as those who don’t claim to follow Jesus.

Among all the handwringing, however, I wonder have we ever considered that we’re just as guilty of putting as much anger and vitriol in the world as the unsaved? (And, in some cases, like abortion and gay rights, we’re guilty of contributing more than our fair share.) Why doesn’t that alarm us just as much as the divorce statistics?

Jesus warned us that the world will hate us (John 15:19), but I can find no command to hate it back. In fact, His “Love your neighbor as yourself” command (Mark 12:31) seems pretty straightforward and clear on that matter. I love that Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan in answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” because from what I understand about the relationship between Samaritans and Jews in the time of Jesus, they didn’t like each other (and that’s probably putting it very mildly)—and yet it was the Samaritan who loved his neighbor (his neighbor who he wouldn’t have agreed with) as himself when he extended help to the beaten-up Jewish man.

It’s my prayer that I would be that kind of neighbor, that kind of believer. We want to be different from our secular counterparts? I think I’ve found a good place to start.

New Math

Barb Sherrill — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:30:19 -0700

I’ve done the math, and I’m not sure my tv-watching schedule is going to work this season.

When I calculate how many hours I have available to watch tv and subtract the hours taken by tv shows I already watch and am committed to and add in the new shows I want to watch and hopefully would commit to and factor in sleep, well, I’m in a mess. It looks something like this (where HA = hours available, AW = already watch, HW = hope to watch, S = sleep):

HA – (AW + HW) – (S x 8) = NOT ENOUGH HOURS!

I was on the Math Team in high school—not in the Math Club, but on the Math Team. We didn’t just get together because we liked math—we had to try out to make the team, we had daily math drills and practices to improve our skills, we competed in state and national events, we won honors, awards, and medals.

In other words, we were G-E-E-K-S.

But we were competitive geeks, and because we were good enough to bring honor to the school, we didn’t suffer the fates of other geeks on campus (in other words, people only made fun of us behind our backs, not to our faces).

I was never a superstar on the team. I was more like a utility player. I could fill in where we had gaps, add to the team’s overall score, provide back-up to the true superstars.

But I did personally medal…once.

It was a statewide invitational competition (I told you our team was good—we got invited!), and as our coach filled in the roster for the various events (placing the superstars where they were needed first, of course), he found a spot for me. In “Chalk Talk.”

And yes, the geek quotient just went up another notch.

“Chalk Talk” was an event where we were given the topic ahead of time (in this case, permutations and combinations), and we prepared a 10-minute speech on the topic. Trick is, though, you had to take a qualifying test at the event and score in the top percentage in order to earn a spot to give your speech. In previous years, our team had struggled in this area, not getting past the qualifying exam to give the speech they had prepared long and hard for.

So, coach put me in. And he put me in with specific instructions, “Pass that test, Sherrill. Whatever you do, pass that test.”

Math coaches are just like all other coaches.

I worked hard. I learned everything I could about combinations and permutations (the math that, among other things, can tell you how many different license plates can be made using three numbers and three letters—handy, isn’t it?). I wrote a speech. And I practiced giving that speech over and over and over.

When the day came, I passed the qualifying exam, I gave the speech, and I won a medal. It was cool.

And that’s when I realized something about myself: I could do math, but I loved words. I may have won a medal at a math competition for a math subject, but the recognition was ultimately for the speech I wrote and the presentation I gave.

It’s a lovely thing when you can make those kind of distinctions in your life—between what you can do (and might actually be pretty good at) and what you truly love to do. Absolutely nothing wrong with the things I can do (I need them!), but how much more passion and joy I find when I pursue the things I love to do.

Like my tv-watching schedule would indicate, I can’t do it all. I have to make choices about where I spend my time and put my energy. And I hope, whenever I’m able, to pick the things I love to do over the things I can do.