Incongruence---some things just don’t go together

Incongruence is the antonym or opposite of congruence. Wiktionary defines congruence as “the quality of agreeing, being suitable and appropriate.” So, items that show incongruence would not be suitable or appropriate together. Like grape juice and cheese, or beer and Frosted Flakes. Here are some other examples:

My daughter went to City Stages, the local music festival. Later, she posted a group of photos on Facebook entitled Young Jeezy/Lynyrd Skynyrd. Young Jeezy is apparently a famous rapper, who appeared to be wearing his trousers down about mid-thigh. I’m not saying the Skynyrd boys are saints, but they do seem to know how a belt and buckle work. The point is that these things don’t go together. They are incongruent.

Here’s another. This week I saw a bumper sticker that said “Pro-Faith, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice.” You may disagree with me, but those three items seem to show incongruence.

Here’s one more set, a pair of Bible verses about David. “. . . the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people . . . .”---1 Sam 13:14 and “. . . . the thing David had done displeased the LORD.”--- 2 Sam 11:27 (This was after the whole Bathsheba episode which included adultery and the murder of her husband.) How could David be a man after God’s own heart and yet still be capable of carrying out one of the most despicable and heinous series of events in the Bible? Did David cease to be a man after God’s own heart? No. He did have to face disastrous consequences the rest of his life, but God continued to use David and even bless David.

I think the solution lies in the fact that David, when confronted by Nathan the prophet, felt broken-hearted over his sin. He repented and asked for forgiveness. Psalm 51 is a beautiful depiction of David’s remorse. How can I be a child of God and a sinner at the same time? I think I need to share God’s broken-heart about my sin. I need to stop rationalizing the sin and justifying myself. I need to let the Father wash me, clean me, purify me and give me a new heart. Only then will my internal incongruence be solved.

Go Outside! It's in HD!

At my age, waking up early isn't just easy, it's automatic. Today, instead of spending the first half hour of the day checking Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Weather.com and the like, I did something different. I guess it was just impulsive. I went outside. Coffee in hand, I strolled around to the backyard and sat by our koi pond. I turned off the waterfall so the water would be still, then I tossed in a handful of fish food to see if the little buggers would eat.

What happened next was amazing. My senses, probably blunted by fluorescent lighting, LCD screens, and mind-numbing electronic media, gradually came alive. The richness of sounds was incredible. There were dozens of birds both near and far chirping away. The fish started coming up for breakfast and I could see their amazing palette of colors. Flowers everywhere. I could smell honeysuckle and pine bark. It was better than HD television with Dolby Surround-Sound. Way better.

I spent a few moments in quiet praise to the One who was into HD before we even thought of "indoors." Let's get out there, folks.

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
Psalms 104:24