It’s sort of sad, really.  One of the big 3 religions can be boiled down to five (or less) kitchy phrases…

“Having girl problems? I feel bad for you, son!  I’ve got 99 problems but a Bit** aint one.”

Now that’s a phrase I can kind of get into. But it, of course, is not one of the five i heard growing up.

It’s just nice.

I suppose  the problem with boiling down truth to simple sayings is the answers come off a little bit patronizing or childish.  (Other than quid est veritas – the Latin for “What is Truth?” which seems a perfectly reasonable saying.)

What about, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

OK. Thanks. Now I’m really confused.

Could it be that the Gospel of Jesus is slightly more deep -even murky-  than I was lead to believe as a child?  Could it be that the little phrases have made it look deceptively shallow? – Like one of those clear pools in the mountains that look to be about 2 feet, but are actually 40′?

Here’s another good one (like the above also not found in the Bible.)

“Make Jesus personal Lord and Savior of your Life.”

Um, What?

I have absolutely no idea what that means.

I’m not advocating a new theology.   I’m just saying maybe HOPEFULLY God is more than a bunch of phrases. (I hesitate to post this – only because Christians can be the most cannibalistic people on the internet.)

I hope God is really an independent agent who is sovereign to do whatever he wants.

The phrases don’t work anyways.

When Jesus instructed people to “come as a child” I don’t think he meant “be childish and hang your hope on kitchy phrases.”

Jesus is real and He is more than a feeling  (Thanks Boston) of being in control because of the power to use phrases.

I hope Jesus hasn’t been abandoned as a result of the 5 (or less) answers to every one of life’s problems. It would seem a shame to dissuade an adventurous  cliff jumper with the wrong information on just how deep the pool is.

On one shore of the lake there is a town called Passion and on the other Provision.

The boy was raised in Passion throwing rocks whose ripples lapped the shore.

As he grew he knew, instinctively, he had to move to Provision and as he threw his rocks they lapped its banks.  But he always longed for home.

As long as the echos of the ripples at Provision would last he would go back to Passion.  Then he would return.

As he grew his outrospection inspired him and his experiences strengthened him.

He began to throw larger and larger rocks higher and higher until they hit the middle of the lake – ripples racing to either shore.

It wonders the immense warehouse of your soul, mind and spirit checking the feelings pressure, monitoring the strength and weakness levels, double checking the insecurity read outs, gauging your optimetrix on the optimimometer (a device which measures optimism and pessimism), and gives you, its faithful companion, readouts.

And there is nothing that delights the little robot more than providing read outs. Read outs on your feeling.  Read outs on how your memories are interacting.   Read outs read out read outs.  It is capable of computing millions of readouts per second and excels at combining even the most extraneous data to produce new (you guessed it) read outs.

Introspection was designed by the body to provide information to you, its faithful companion and provider of new information.  It will not be offended if you reject its findings or decide not to use the information it presents.  It is quite content to provide more read outs read outs read outs.

You can send it on specific missions or it will roam at its own providing you with more read outs read outs read outs.

Since its job is not to analyze the data Introspection was specifically programmed with the ability to provide and believe data that is seemingly contradictory.  When recalling a conversation with a friend your happy feelings may produce happy memories of the conversation and the robot will take great delight in printing a read out.  The next day, let’s say it’s not a happy day, your memory of the same conversation may provoke jealousy.  And the robot will be equally delighted to print a new read – paying no mind to the last.

Because of the amicable nature of the robot and the efficacy of its actions many people can become enamored by it.

This, of course, can represent a whole range of problems.  If, say, you are watching Introspection at work you may fail to notice the light has changed and earn a honk from the angry person behind you.  Or, if while reviewing some read outs you realize that two results produce a paradoxical conclusion. You may attempt to believe both simultaneously.  (I am happy about my friend and jealous of her.) People, not programmed to believe disparate information, often find themselves in immensely uncomfortable situations as a result.

Introspection prints read outs.  Day and night.  It is our job to decide what to do with them.