the surge
  • Christmas Eve Splash
  • Home
    • Message from our Pastor
    • Calendar of Events
    • Amazon Link
    • Connect
  • I'm New
    • About You
    • Times, Locations and Parking
    • What to Expect
    • Statement of Belief
  • Unstoppable Love
    • Small Groups
    • Generosity
    • Serve
    • The Surge Residency
  • Media
    • Prayer Requests
    • Current Series
    • Message Archive
    • Sample Message & Music
    • Resources
    • Music
    • Diving Deeper
  • Blog
  • Giving

Not Your Ordinary Blog:

We have a bunch of bloggers: writers, teachers, photographers, students,
foreign correspondents, musicians, poets and friends.

They're thinking deep thoughts... and occasionally will put hand to computer to share those thoughts with you.  We also use our blog for announcements and some housekeeping items...
but scroll through and read a few posts, you will be delighted.

Then leave us a comment, or send us an email - we'd love to hear from you too!

Email the Surge!

Deferred Judgment ~ Greg J

5/20/2012

0 Comments

 
A former co-worker had an odd habit of verbally characterizing practically everyone in terms of abnormal psychology.  The accountant who simply requested a spending report was “anal-rententive”. A staff member who forgot a meeting had “dementia”.  On entering a meeting that had lost heat on a cold January day, he asked, “Why is everyone so anti-social?  How can I tell? Because you have crossed your arms over your chests.” My IT colleagues and I were shy. He labelled us “autistic”. However, a tech who gave a presentation he upgraded to “passive-aggressive”.  A planning session? “Exercise in paranoia.”  A change in plans? Yep, “schizophrenic”.
Picture
To be fair, our parents and teachers have conditioned us—oops—to judge, identify, and categorize. Our safety and progress depend upon adequate, timely discernment.  Good leadership includes the ability, given incomplete information, to decide correctly and act at the right time. 

Perhaps the telling difference between psych-guy and me was that he said what he thought, or as he diagnosed himself, "sometimes I have trouble with impulse control".

Psych-guy's extreme helped me recognize that (a) too often I judged when no judgment was required, (b) too often my judgment proved to be wrong, and (c) too often I was inclined to stick with a wrong first impression.

Subsequently, by avoiding hasty conclusions I have more time to see and hear.  If judgment eventually is required, I usually by then have better facts, and less bias to confirm a previous impression.

For example, there’s the matter of you.  Yes, you there, reading this blog.  

Probably it is safe to assume that if you have read this far that you are smarter, more spiritual, and altogether nicer than most people. Do I think you are needy, hurting, and anxious for the future?  Many people are.  But you might be the opposite, overconfident and presumptuous. I don't know.

By not prematurely judging, I have saved time and embarrassment.  The trick is to use that time to hear, see, and serve.

“Stop judging by appearances. Judge by what is really right.” — John 7

"You will be judged in the same way that you judge others.” — Matthew 7

"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.' So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, 'He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.' But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.' Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.' — Luke 19


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Our Writers:

    At The Surge we love doing things together... that includes writing a blog!  Here are a few of our main contributing authors:

    Greg Johnson

    Jesus++
    Me--

    Dwaine Darrah

    Our fearless leader, Dwaine is the lead pastor at The Surge.  His experience in counter terrorism with the CIA prepared him for ministry and he likes dogs and babies even more than E does.

    E

    E (short for Eric Reiss) is the Wingman at The Surge and likes dogs, music, Mexican food, his wife Karen and his little girl Evangeline... not necessarily in that order.

    Archives

    December 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    June 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All
    Beliefs
    Betrayal
    Buildings
    Caesar
    Career
    College
    Corn Flakes
    Decisions
    Denomination
    Fishing
    Holy
    Hope
    Jesus
    Kids
    Lord’s Supper
    Memorizing
    Missions
    Pan And Echo
    People
    Peter
    Psychology
    Respect
    Rock
    Rome
    Shadows
    Time Discernment

    RSS Feed

Home

Message from our Pastor
Connect
Calendar of Events
Church Community Builder
I'm New

Times and Locations
What to Expect
About You
Why Meet at the State Theatre?
Unstoppable Love

Small Groups
Partners in Community
Serve
Booking at the Barn
Prayer Requests
Media

Current Series
Sample Message and Music
Music
Diving Deeper
Message Archive
Blog

Giving

Contact Us

Announcements
website  design by story.gs