Anatomy of Intensity

Mother Lioness via newtechtips.org

Feeling run down?  Does life seem to pass you by?  Maybe you need to be more INTENSE!  Today we'll look at the subject of intensity.  Can we generate it by force of will, or learn it in a classroom?  What does the word even mean?  This post looks at these questions and more as we dissect this often misunderstood concept.

Being from another part of the country than where I currently reside, I occasionally check the news from my home state.  Recently, I came across a video regarding a local football team.  In the video, two reporters commented on various players.  At one point they stated that player x should be more like player y, meaning one lacked the intensity of the other.  They then hoped that y could "pass along" his intensity to x.  This sparked a thought within me.  Can intensity be learned or must one simply be born with it?  This question got me started on a deeper look into this subject.

First we must ask the question "What does the word intensity mean?"

Dictionary Definitions

The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary (a resource for those learning English) gives the following definition for the word intensity

1 [noncount] : the quality or state of being intense : extreme strength or force
▪ the intensity of the sun's rays ▪ the intensity of the argument

2 : the degree or amount of strength or force that something has [count]
▪ hurricanes of different intensities [noncount] ▪ The noise grew in intensity. [=the noise became louder] ▪ The sun shone with great intensity.

 I chose the Learner's Dictionary definition because of its simplified language as well as its illustrations.  What about other illustrations from nature?

Natural Intensity

An example of natural intensity from my own experience comes to mind.  Some years ago I visited a zoo which had a lioness with young cubs.  Part of the enclosure had transparent walls, and zoo employees had to put additional barriers on the people side because anyone coming too close to the wall would provoke an attack.  I stood well away from the enclosure, but when the lioness' eyes met mine I received the message loud and clear.  If there were no wall between us, my name would no longer be Brent Buttler, my name would be Dead Meat.  The intensity of her look foretold of the violent effort that she would put forth to defend her offspring, but can intensity be displayed in a nonviolent way?

Yes it can.

Nonviolent Intensity

Violent intensity comes to mind first because, let's face it, we live in a violent world, and many examples of violence exist.  However, when we look at the definition of intensity we see that it has to do with the strength of an object or activity rather than its violence.  This strength can also be applied to nonviolent actions and emotions.  An example of nonviolent intensity for me comes from a scene in the film Matthew from The Visual Bible series.  In this scene (starting at 1:38 in the video) Bruce Marchiano, portraying Jesus, looked at Matthew with such intensity that when He told him to "Follow Me" Matthew did so without hesitation.  Now one can argue that Jesus didn't have to learn to be intense, but what about the rest of us?  Can those who exhibit passivity become intense?

Yes,  but not in the way you may think.

Learning Intensity

From my observation and experience I have found that you cannot learn intensity in a classroom or from a book.  You can learn how an intense person acts, but true intensity has to be more than simply going through the motions.  A passive person becomes intense only through a relationship with an intense person.  So if you find yourself feeling run down and you see life passing you by, take the time to develop a relationship with the most intense Person you will ever know, Jesus Christ.

Think I'm on the right track, or do you think I'm way off the mark?  Let me know.  I look forward to your input in this matter.

Book Review: Faith That Works

Wanna make it into heaven, but don't know how to get there?  Morris Venden's book Faith That Works will tell you how, but don't simply take my word for it, read it for yourself.

According to an old saying one cannot judge the contents of a book by its cover.  While that may be true in many cases, by looking at the cover you can still get a good idea about what's inside.  When you read the back cover of this book, you will discover its theme.  Righteousness is not something you can achieve on your own.  It can only be achieved through Jesus.

When you look inside the book you will find that theme throughout.  This daily reader (one page for each day of the year) begins with pertinent title "What God is Like" and leads you on a journey into a deeper understanding of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Christian life until you arrive at the last title "Jesus, Your Best Friend".   My wife and I started reading this book most of the way through the year last year, but the effect remained the same.  Despite our growing up in Christian environments, we found ourselves being challenged and encouraged to take a deeper look at our views on a variety of subjects.

For example, one does not overcome temptation with clenched fists and gritted teeth, you simply get to the point where temptation has no power over you at all (you can find a more detailed explanation here).

Whether you're a lifelong Christian, or you aren't even sure what Christianity is all about, you will benefit from reading this book.  Can one find similar thoughts in other books?  Absolutely, but Venden's style of writing makes complicated topics easy to understand.  Many times while reading this book I found myself thinking, "Hmm, I never thought about it that way before."  Venden's passion for the subject matter practically oozes from the pages, and will draw you into wanting to know more about this being called God, and this man named Jesus.

Being over ten years old, this book should be easy to get for relatively little money (I got mine for free, not sure why the previous owner gave it up).  So, what are you waiting for?  Get yours today.

Book Review: The Jesus I Never Knew

Photo courtesy goodreads.com

Phillip Yancey challenges the reader to take a second, third, and fourth look at Christianity's most talked about, yet most frequently misunderstood, subjects; the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Yancey starts off this book with his first encounter with the concept of Jesus.  A scene not too unfamiliar to those who grew up in a Christian environment.  Since I fall into that category, I can identify with it as well.  I used the word "fall" almost unconsciously, but it fits so well.  As children, we don't have much control over where we go, what we do, or what type of home we grow up in.  With our undeveloped skepticism, we believe whatever comes from the mouths of those in authority regardless of its truthfulness.  Sadly, as we grow older, we discover that those in authority have not been completely honest with us.  This was the case with Philip Yancey.

Yancey grew up believing Jesus to be one who had "no sharp edges at all--a Mister Rogers before the age of children's television."  Those of you who did not grow up in the United States, or simply did not watch "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" most likely will not be able to fully grasp the power of that illustration.  As one who watched the program extensively growing up, I know exactly what picture Yancey tried to portray.  Mister Rogers was the ultimate nice guy, and his show followed his personality.  In researching for this post I came across the program's opening theme, something I hadn't seen for a very long time, and I couldn't help but feel a warm sense of peace as I watched it.  Young Philip felt that same peace thinking about Jesus, the problem being that was where his concept of Jesus ended.  As Yancey grew up his concept broadened, sometimes exponentially, and this book details what he discovered about this Man Who was God.  What did Yancey discover?

Yancey found out that Jesus is more than we think He is, and when you think you have Him figured out, something else comes along that completely contradicts what you first thought.  Jesus lived a life of apparent contradictions: the Sinless One Who was a Friend of Sinners, powerful men and evil angels would cower in His presence or simply run away, yet little children and outcast women were drawn to Him, and never wanted to leave His side.  A friend of mine described Jesus as a "human magnet", a fitting description indeed for those were seemingly His opposite were drawn to Him, yet those who were seemingly His equal were repulsed.

While other books exist about Jesus' life that I would place in higher esteem (namely one in particular), The Jesus I Never Knew helped to remind me that simply because we have learned something as a child doesn't necessarily make it true, and that we should keep our minds and hearts open to God's leading.  For although we most likely will have to give up long cherished ideas, the new ones that we accept will be much, much better.