The Dude
My 'Dude' Vlog post was probably a bit ambiguous, probably not helped by the bad sound quality (I've now added subtitles to make up for leaving the fish tank pump on!). Hopefully this post will help clarify the ideas. I had a couple of different angles in mind, the first starting from the Big Lebowski's narrator's comfort in the abiding nature of the Dude. That archetypal chilled out under achiever whose main strength is to be able to cast of worry and rely on luck to get him through. It's an evolutionary strategy that has carved itself a permanent home among the classic personality types. 
The narrator concludes at the end of the movie:
"Take it easy Dude, I know that you will"
"The Dude abides...
I don't know about you but I take comfort in that, it's good knowing he's out there, 'The Dude' takin it easy for all us sinners.
I sure hope he makes the finals..."
"The Dude abides...
I don't know about you but I take comfort in that, it's good knowing he's out there, 'The Dude' takin it easy for all us sinners.
I sure hope he makes the finals..."
Then he gets all circle of life, about the whole human race perpetuating itself down through the ages... and the Dude is a recurring theme in that cycle, with both his/her weaknesses and strengths.
The early church fathers laid out a pattern of the recurring human personalities as the Nine Enneagram Type Descriptions, I'm no expert on this but some people see the Dude in type 9:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1531579347134465&id=1408450479447353
One of the comments on the Vlog pointed out that this weakness, this recurring cycle is a reminder of the law of sin that is at war with the purposes of God, as Romans 7:23-25 states:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
This warring was certainly in my mind when doing the post but the other angle on the movie I wanted to bring out was triggered by the narrator's hope that the Dude would "make the finals". The "how you actually do it" bit of Romans 7:25, but that needs a bit more explanation rather than just hints & riddles! How do we actually overcome "through Jesus Christ our Lord!"? In the movie the battle the Dude is fighting is with the nihilists and the 'likeness' he's pursuing is with Jesus, the bowling Jesus!
I believe the 'how' starts with the grace and kindness of God and in Jesus' recognising our weakness and those aspects of the fractured image of God in humanity that have not been fully corrupted. Those positive aspects bought out in the Enneagram as well as recognising the inbuilt tendencies to miss the mark. "Strikes and gullies, man"
There are different forms of judgement mentioned in scripture, it's different for those who actively choose wickedness and those who are calling out for help. This is the judge Christians face:
I believe the 'how' starts with the grace and kindness of God and in Jesus' recognising our weakness and those aspects of the fractured image of God in humanity that have not been fully corrupted. Those positive aspects bought out in the Enneagram as well as recognising the inbuilt tendencies to miss the mark. "Strikes and gullies, man"
There are different forms of judgement mentioned in scripture, it's different for those who actively choose wickedness and those who are calling out for help. This is the judge Christians face:
Hebrews 4:13-15
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Our Compassionate High Priest
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Our Compassionate High Priest
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
He never threw a gully, he never missed the mark, and that's where we're headed. The first part in the "how to" is starting where we're at, the next is learning to abide in Christ. Both in his love & forgiveness for us and his transforming power at work in us. John addresses those at the start of their journey as 'little children':
1 John 2:1-2 New Living Translation (NLT)
2 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
2 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
John also has a lot to say about abiding:
John 15:1-10
The True Vine
Jesus said:
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Love and Joy Perfected
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
The True Vine
Jesus said:
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Love and Joy Perfected
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Sometimes we find ourselves back at square one, and on New Year's Eve it felt like I was there as I shouted at a very tired Sammy as he came back from a 'seeing in the year party', crying and interrupting my film. There are many "square ones" mentioned in the Bible of which laziness and being exasperated with your children are just two. This year I have had to choose to accept weakness, affliction and sickness. And maybe I have not been lazy enough at times! Managing to put myself back in hospital prematurely by overdoing it and ending up with a fever three times.
There are many different judgments on how lazy others are, and I know from a past with undiagnosed dyslexia that those judgments are not always a fair perspective. Those judgments are really not important though, whether you are being reproached or whether you are being commended for facing internal difficulty, the only thing that matters as a Christian is the ultimate judgement of Christ. In front of that great reward seat (as at the Olympic Games) when the saints will stand to hear the words "well done good and faithful servant" from the judge who knows our weaknesses and has chosen to display his treasure in these earthen vessels.
For each of the 9 personality types, when back at square one, the "how" of overcoming is the same. The principle that unsticks us, in the midst of all the different survival strategies, all the weaknesses, is this:
https://youtu.be/-nrgBX3olqM
There are many different judgments on how lazy others are, and I know from a past with undiagnosed dyslexia that those judgments are not always a fair perspective. Those judgments are really not important though, whether you are being reproached or whether you are being commended for facing internal difficulty, the only thing that matters as a Christian is the ultimate judgement of Christ. In front of that great reward seat (as at the Olympic Games) when the saints will stand to hear the words "well done good and faithful servant" from the judge who knows our weaknesses and has chosen to display his treasure in these earthen vessels.
For each of the 9 personality types, when back at square one, the "how" of overcoming is the same. The principle that unsticks us, in the midst of all the different survival strategies, all the weaknesses, is this:
Start from where you are and abide in Him...
https://youtu.be/-nrgBX3olqM
The Vlog script:
Happy New Year. Looking forward...
I watched the Big Lebowski last night, a lot of fun, "the Dude abides"...
and then it was interesting, thinking about things at the end of the movie, the kids came back and I'm sitting watching TV, distracted, tired but not ready to go to bed. Just made me think about "abiding" and how it's different for different people.
As a Christian the goal is to be Christ-like but we approach that from very different starting places, and sometimes we're forced to start from certain starting places, for me one of those places is the point of maximum laziness, because I just don't have the energy.
but it was a good reminder that laziness is something I need to fight against this year.
In some ways the Dude is the enemy.
The Dude is the enemy of productivity,
Of blessing other people's lives
Of getting anything done
Of interacting properly with the kids
just... letting it take over is not what I want this year
but sometimes it's where I've got to start
For wherever we're going for this year, at the start of the year, it's probably a good idea, a good reminder, when we're thinking about new year's resolutions, about things we want to change, we really have to start where we're at, and there are strengths in natural tendencies too and to build from those.
And for the Dude everything works out in the end - if he just stops worrying
So I've got to hold on to that too and that's where I'm starting this year.
Abide in Christ and be transformed by that.
The Dude abides....
Happy New Year. Looking forward...
I watched the Big Lebowski last night, a lot of fun, "the Dude abides"...
and then it was interesting, thinking about things at the end of the movie, the kids came back and I'm sitting watching TV, distracted, tired but not ready to go to bed. Just made me think about "abiding" and how it's different for different people.
As a Christian the goal is to be Christ-like but we approach that from very different starting places, and sometimes we're forced to start from certain starting places, for me one of those places is the point of maximum laziness, because I just don't have the energy.
but it was a good reminder that laziness is something I need to fight against this year.
In some ways the Dude is the enemy.
The Dude is the enemy of productivity,
Of blessing other people's lives
Of getting anything done
Of interacting properly with the kids
just... letting it take over is not what I want this year
but sometimes it's where I've got to start
For wherever we're going for this year, at the start of the year, it's probably a good idea, a good reminder, when we're thinking about new year's resolutions, about things we want to change, we really have to start where we're at, and there are strengths in natural tendencies too and to build from those.
And for the Dude everything works out in the end - if he just stops worrying
So I've got to hold on to that too and that's where I'm starting this year.
Abide in Christ and be transformed by that.
The Dude abides....
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