A Book Review - Jesus Did It Anyway

Jesus Did It Anyway (The Paradoxical Commandments for Christians) by Kent M. Keith is a book about how to live a life a faith in Jesus by coming face to face with the contradictory nature of being a disciple of God and living in the world. The very nature of the "commandments" that Keith draws from both the bible and observation of human kind were so astounding that Mother Teresa borrows them for her own work.


The book starts with a chapter that is titled "The Call," reminding us that God is asking us to follow Jesus. Keith then reminds us that following Jesus is NOT about doctrine, or about a list of rules or commandments, but about the Gospel of Jesus itself, and he does that by illustrating Good Friday and it's meaning. Then, mirroring the 10 commandments of God gave Moses, Keith draws 10 commandments summarizing both Jesus' actions and behaviors as he outlines how we too can follow Jesus' example and change the world us. 

Keith's first Paradoxical Commandment is "People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.  LOVE THEM ANYWAY. Think about that for a moment.  People really are illogical and they really do ask and expect us to do unreasonable thinks because they are more concerned about themselves than others.  Narcissism runs rampant in our world today.  It's all about the "Selfie."  It would to me, seem must easier to be disappointed, angry and retaliatory to these mean people, to prevent them and others from taking advantage of me.  But both Keith and the WWJD bracelet asks, "What Would Jesus Do?"  Well, he would love them anyway.  And so goes the other 9 commandments, all of them explaining to the reader how paradoxical Jesus', and his followers', behavior within the world really is or ought to be.  It's actually rather shocking, as he not only says what we should do, but why, biblically, and how.  

Keith's book is not only interesting, but for the last 5 years I have continually returned to it help me organize, recover and plan my reactions when I have been hurt or confused by the World's behavior.  He has written it so well that you faith is stoked, you life is enhanced and Jesus comes deeper and deeper into your life.

It has taken me 5 years to write this short review, because I have not begun to be done with this book.  Instead of it being something I have read, and enjoyed, it is still something I am reading, using and growing with, along with my bible.  This is a 5 star book.  Get it!  Now.
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Want to Order Jesus Did It Anyway?  Click the book cover below.

Love them Anyway - or Hate in TBI

The Golden Rule - Do Unto Others
as You Would Have them Do Unto You.

Do you remember the Golden Rule that we were taught when we were young?  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  I am sure someone told me this was from Luke 6:31, but I don't remember much about church or Sunday school, or about being young. (This being one of the least awesome benefits of having TBI.) The reason that I show a Ruler, also called a rule, instead of using the standard definition of a rule, being something we have to follow, is the context of Luke 6.  I seems that Jesus is telling us to just treat others they way we want to be treated, but rather it is a different way, a bigger way, to look at the Lords Prayer.  In the Lords prayer we ask God to forgive us as just as we have forgiven others.  In other words, we are not forgiven unless we forgive others.  More on that later.

It came as a shock today when I was looking for some background on a quote from Mother Teresa poem about "Do it Anyway." As it turns out, the poem credited to Mother Teresa was a spiritual re-write of The Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith.  The reason I was shocked was because I assumed it was a simple instruction to treat others well. It is not.  It is a total life style change, that requires me to understand what I am about; what my value to others and to God's plan is.  It demands of me more that I can give, yet I give it anyway. Do It Anyway By Keith, Kent M. (Google Affiliate Ad).

Let me start at the beginning.  One of the many oddities of my TBI is the difficulty social activities and driving adds to my daily functioning.  We took a karate trip once to Italy.  Everyone in the group was very social. They hung out, talked and did all the things that my wife really likes to do.  I on the other hand, get massive migraines, get sick, as in power hurling, and even lose vision and to some degree the ability to speak.  If the activity is challenging and long enough, the symptoms might last for weeks.  So when they come up, I leave the situation as quietly as I can.  The only problem is, when you are on tour, in Venice Italy, and you have no short term or long term memory, there is a better than even chance you will get lost, and never find you way back.  No the astute reader will be thinking about now, why not just ask someone the way back.  That would assume you knew the name of your hotel, you remembered where you key is with the name of the hotel, you remembered to bring your wallet with a note it it, and that asking for help from a stranger would not cause to to get even sicker. Putting all that aside, however, I would tell my wife that I was going to go away for a while, or go back to my room.  Then leave, before I made a huge mess of everybody elses trip.  My wife, being the saint that she is, would come too, knowing that I would never make it.  We would then go off and explore on our own.

Much later, I was verbally assaulted by the leader of the group.  One of the great evils that he pointed out about my life, was that I would just walk away from the group on trips, forcing my wife into bad situations.  He thought that was unmanly.  I didn't tell him the truth.  Truth is irrelevant when people have made up their minds.  Just let it go.  He hurt me.  Many years latter I found out that it was only I he wanted to hurt.  My daughter and wife were good people, but I was a pariah.  So my behavior cost me a relationship, and my whole family.  I could have let them continue in their relationship, but that option was never given to me.  My wife the saint again.  So it still hurts. I hate that part of my life, and no one that was involved will ever understand.

We used to train at a friend's school about 1.5 hours away from our house.  He was a Christian and a very good teacher.  He invited us to his staff class, and out of respect and a desire to be one of the boys, my wife and I made the effort.  The class was 8am, so we had to wake up at 5am to get to the class, and then drive 1.5 hours to get there, take the class, with people all of whom were 20 years or more younger than I, and then drive 1.5 hours back.  No biggie.  It was worth it.  Today I found out why we stopped going, and why the relationship broke down.  I always assumed it was because of a business mess up of one of our former friends, but as it turns out, it was not.  It seems that after I drive 1.5 hours I get to experience one of my unique forms of seizure activity, where I start losing my speech, some of my vision in my right eye, and a migraine that takes hours to days to get rid of sets in.  I don't remember this stuff because, well, I have TBI.  Worse than that, the social pressure had a like impact, and the 1.5 hours back also had a cumulative impact. What was the result?  A separation between this friend of long standing and I.  It gets deeper by the year.  Seems no one can understand.  Seems I am expected to man up and face .... or something like that.  That hurts.

Earlier this week I was talking to a friend of mine that also has TBI.  Seems that this is a common experience for us.  I may have known that at one time, but I don't remember.

Back to the Golden Rule.  John 6:27 is an imperative.  Love you enemies and do good to those who hate you.  But the love that Jesus is talking about is super natural Love.  It can only come from the Lord.

It gets worse in 6:28.  Here we are told to pray for those who hurt us, and bless or be a blessing to them.  This one anyone can do.  Do good things for them.

So that means I need to allow this stuff to happen, and not ruin their day with the useless truth.  Just smile, and take it.  Love them anyway.

But it gets worse.  In 6:29 we are told to suck it up when we are assaulted.  They want 1 pound of flesh, offer them 2.  Give more than they would take from you on their own.  What????

But it gets far worse.  In 6:30 we are told to give things to ANYONE who asks, and NEVER try to get it back. Give me a break.  Just give it to them.

Now, finally we are at the golden rule.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  This is far more challenging that it seems on the surface.  Jesus means us to never assault anyone for any error.  You know, when you make a horrible mistake, and you go and tell the truth, you are hoping they hug you and forgive you, but instead, they post their hate on facebook.  What did you want?  Forgiveness.  What did you get?  Hate.  Jesus says to not only forgive them, but go the extra mile.  And when you are done, go the extra mile again.

So, what I learned to day was to let it go.  I do karate to help people.  I do help people.  Some of them kick me in the teeth, because they don't understand.  I love them anyway.  They hurt me and mine, but I love them anyway.  Why?  Because I love Jesus, and that is what he did for me.

Love them anyway.

It's Not That Simple!

I have come to understand how messed up my personal philosophy of life has become.  This is how it happened.  I was driving down a road, on the way to pick my wife up at the grocery store, and as I turned on to the correct road, I saw a man with a sign asking for money.  I have been told, and believed all my life, that if they just got up in the morning and went out and got a job, they would not have to beg.  Worse, if I gave them money, they would just spend it on alcohol.  I decided that all this negative pull yourself up by the bootstraps stuff was crap, so I pulled over, and all I had was a $1 and a $20.  I pulled out the $1, knowing I needed the $20 to buy some french fries.  Then I realized how stupid that sounded in my head, so I pulled out the $20, and gave him that instead.

There, I did it.  I was a better person than all those other people who hated poor people.  I was an uber-christian.  I continued down the road, about 1/2 mile, pulled into the parking lot, and went and picked up my wife.  It was perhaps 8 minutes before 9:00pm when I gave him the $20, and it took me about 8 minutes to pick up my wife.  I drove across the parking lot, an into the driveway to wait my turn to get back on the road.  Directly across from me was the guy I just gave the money to, and he was sprinting down the side walk across the street from me.  I watched.  He sprinted right up to a package store (alcohol store) and went in.

Errr.  I just bought a poor guy alcohol, and wasted $20.  All he really needed to do was pull himself up by his boot straps, and get a freaking job.  What a waste.

It not really that simple, though, is it.  One thing I have discovered more and more in the recent months and years, is that I am no persons moral compass.  I have also discovered that the more you help people, the more they disappoint, and at times, hurt you.  It is part of the package.

I was going to list all the bible verses that prove this truth in life, and mention the ultimate example of Jesus and how he was treated for helping people, but instead, I want to share with you a poem by on of God's saints.  (Now, if you don't believe in God, then this is a poem from a real good women who just happens to believe in an invisible being and talks to a ghost.)

Mother Teresa's Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Now, it really is that simple.  So I have decided to remind myself to do it anyway.  That poor guy is poor, and I helped him, and will again if given the opportunity.  I will, because it is not between me and him, or me and the government, or me and a court, or me and you.  It is between me and my God, and he has already rewarded me.