Love Wins!

Today, on this Valentine's Day, whether you are blessed with a significant other or you are living a pleasant life of solitude, remember and know that each of us have been blessed to be created and redeemed in the LOVE of Jesus Christ. Nothing, especially the love of a human being, can compare to that LOVE. The world has not seen a love like this in 2,007 years. So, may you accept that the everlasting arms that surround you and hold you are not the arms of your chosen lover but the arms of the LOVER that has chosen you.

Will you hold them?

God, I am so stupid

I often reflect at the end of the day on all of the things I could have done or said differently. Everytime, I reach the same conclusion...that I am an idiot. I truly do not intend to be an idiot, but I just am. And I can't figure out why. If I had a nickel for every thought I had regarding my idiotic tendencies, I would probably have a couple hundred dollars right now. However, after many years of reflection, a part of me thinks that there is something greater going on than me just wrecking everything I touch. I am beginning to think that I will never reach a state of goodness.
This realization may be completely obvious to most of you reading this post. But think about it. We all in some way are reaching for some degree of perfection. If you don't believe me, drive to a local bookstore or gas station and notice all of the magazines that are portraying (or distorting) "true" beauty, intelligence, and spirituality. Then, think about the subtle influence these articles have had on your life. Our world is being innendated with the "5 ways to magnificent abs" or "10 ways to lose 10 pounds." Could this be what is distorting our reality of truth and beauty? Could this be why boys and girls, men and women, and male and female, alike are all susceptible to pressure and perfection? Could this be why everytime I lie down to bed at night I think about what I could have done better or said differently to reach complete goodness?
I don't know. I don't know what the answer is. However, I do know that there is a different direction - a different perspective. In all of the good, bad, and ugly that is taking place around me and within me, I find stability that in Jesus Christ, I find life. Jesus does not give any standards for how I should look or dress. He simply says come to me, and I will give you life fully, completely, wholly, eternally, qualitatively, and absolutely! I don't need to worry about this world anymore! Praise God because this world is so broken. And as I lie down at night, I don't need to think about how much of a screw up I am because I know God is holding me. God, I am so stupid, but thank you that Your grace gives me life and a reason to sleep peacefully.

It's a Mystery...

One of the greatest mysteries of God is that God is a mystery. Thomas Torrance writes of John Calvin who said that God is simply a mystery - one to be adored. What does this mean, though? How are we to go about thinking of a God that is a 'mystery?' How should we even interpret 'mystery?' One author suggests that mystery is not a lack of understanding but, instead, a presence of more knowledge than can be comprehended. So, if we are to understand and comprehend a God beyond comprehension, then I suggest that we begin inquiring into the one source that revealed God wholly, suprememly, and completely - Jesus Christ. Jesus is the manifestation, the incarnation, of the Living God in Heaven. Our God is not just a Being or a Spirit existing in an alternate reality. However, our God is an active and moving God involved in the very lives and actions of creation. God is moved by humanity and responds to our suffering. We know this because God entered the world in the form of a human being to present Godself, a formal introduction, to humanity. And though Jesus Christ was human, he must be very God because only God can reveal Godself completely, not a man. All of this is to say that mystery is real. And so is Jesus Christ. And to study the words of Jesus Christ is to acquaint ourselves with the God of the UNIVERSE, of the stars in the night sky, of humanity, of the planets, of the animals, of the roses on the bush, of the clouds against the blue, of the air we breathe, of the whales in the oceans, of the birds in the air, of you, of me, of everything. We must not be fearful of the unknown - of the mystery - but we must walk toward the only source of life that will fulfill us and coplete us. We must walk toward the depths and mysteries of our living God. So, I beg the question...what barriers prevent you from engaging with mystery? And how can you begin to bring down the barrier so that you might embrace the fear and depth of God? May you begin to know and love and explore this mystery, and may you continue with passion the journey that our Mysterious God has set before you.

Big, Shiny Things

So, as I am sitting at my desk with thoughts galore to share with the galaxy, I am reminded of one thing...big, shiny objects. This might sound weird, and it does. While big shiny objects are nice to look at and fun to play with, anyone who is rational and possesses (there are a lot of s's in that little word) any hint of brain functionality, will question why I am thinking about big, shiny objects. Question well taken, and I will resond. I am currently thinking of big, shiny objects because as I sit thinking about God and thinking about the potential of this so fresh and so clean blog, I am reminded of the simple theology I used to hold dear as a kid. I used to think God was a big, shiny God floating on a very comfortable fluffy cloud of which I was envious. I wanted to float too, especially on a large cotton ball. Doesn;t that sound nice? So, as we begin our journey, journey with me into the past and recall how you thought and currently think about the Big Guy upstairs. A.W. Tozar says that sometime in our life, we will (if we have not already) all think about God. So, in the words of Louie Giglio, "what do you think about when you think about God?

So, What Now?

Here we are...

I am not sure what this blog is going to look like a week, a month, or 6 months down the road. Will this blog even exist a week from now? This may be the extent of our journey. And if so, then some adventures were not meant to happen now or at all. However, I am optimistic that fruitful dialogues will take place here. This is a safe space, and I anticipate the richness and potential this space can bring.