in relation to the trinity:
"I remember that I possess memory and understanding and will; I understand that I understand and will and remember: I will my own willing and remembering and understanding. And I remember at the same time the whole of my memory and understanding and will." - Augustine
the unity of selfhood - three in one-ness
similarly love requires a lover, one who is loved, and the love that unites them, in a kind of three-in-oneness, for in speaking of these three, we are speaking of one thing, love. - Augustine
chew on that for a few centuries
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
dare devil God
tonight, at orientation for new staff, we talked about taking risks
we heard comical stories about risk from older followers reflecting on major risks they took in the lives.
then we discussed the idea of taking risks for the gospel and the fears the come with that
then we prayed for each other and as we were praying I had this crazy thought - "take risks, because to risk is the character of God."
God risks.
Love risks.
God is love and love risks it all.
If you think about it, creation as a whole testifies to the fact that God takes risks. To whatever extent, creation had a choice to love God or not, humans had a choice to love their creator or not - we chose not to.
the entire bible is the story of God chasing after his creation who did not love him culminating in the ultimate risk, the incarnation.
God taking on flesh and blood.
So when we risk we are in line with the character of God, we are acting like the image we are made in.
risk scares us though - but i think there is something in a risk that makes us feel alive - maybe thats over romantic maybe not
think back to the first time you told a girl (or a guy) you like them, or leaned in for your first kiss, or just the fact that no matter how many relationships fail we continually go back for more. there's the risk we will be rejected in all those situations but somehow there is something in the risk that makes us feel alive - maybe we feel alive because we are closer to the one in whom we have LIFE and breath.
"this could go horribly wrong...but it's worth it, hands down"
so, don't live your life afraid to fall on your face - take risks, because you're made in the image of a dare-devil God
we heard comical stories about risk from older followers reflecting on major risks they took in the lives.
then we discussed the idea of taking risks for the gospel and the fears the come with that
then we prayed for each other and as we were praying I had this crazy thought - "take risks, because to risk is the character of God."
God risks.
Love risks.
God is love and love risks it all.
If you think about it, creation as a whole testifies to the fact that God takes risks. To whatever extent, creation had a choice to love God or not, humans had a choice to love their creator or not - we chose not to.
the entire bible is the story of God chasing after his creation who did not love him culminating in the ultimate risk, the incarnation.
God taking on flesh and blood.
So when we risk we are in line with the character of God, we are acting like the image we are made in.
risk scares us though - but i think there is something in a risk that makes us feel alive - maybe thats over romantic maybe not
think back to the first time you told a girl (or a guy) you like them, or leaned in for your first kiss, or just the fact that no matter how many relationships fail we continually go back for more. there's the risk we will be rejected in all those situations but somehow there is something in the risk that makes us feel alive - maybe we feel alive because we are closer to the one in whom we have LIFE and breath.
"this could go horribly wrong...but it's worth it, hands down"
so, don't live your life afraid to fall on your face - take risks, because you're made in the image of a dare-devil God
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
situationists and kingdom people
I read this quote in the recent Adbusters.
(the situationists were a restricted group of international revolutionaries according to wikipedia, that had their routes in marxism. - FYI)
"the situationists believed that ordinary people have all the tools they need for revolution...the only thing missing is a perceptual shift - a tantalizing glimpse of a new way of being - that suddenly brings everything into focus."
(the situationists were a restricted group of international revolutionaries according to wikipedia, that had their routes in marxism. - FYI)
"the situationists believed that ordinary people have all the tools they need for revolution...the only thing missing is a perceptual shift - a tantalizing glimpse of a new way of being - that suddenly brings everything into focus."
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
make me prove it / hosea
I was just challenge by a friends blog post - which inspired this blog post.
she said: “I don’t want following you to be easy, challenge me. I want to prove that my love for you is real, deep, enduring and unshakable.
i echo that.
see, the paradox is that we try our very best in life to avoid challenging things and are constantly looking for an easy road. but on the other hand, it is through the challenges and the hardships that we feel the most alive. it's also in the challenges and hardships that you find out whether or not you actually have the faith you claim to posses. not some pre-trial, naive, idealistic, emotional high feeling about God, but an honest wrestling, questioning, doubting, conquering and enduring faith that is not shaken. if you've ever had a situation that you thought was absolute hell and then later when it was all said and done looked back and had nothing but gratitude for the whole wretched thing - you know what i mean. we want to be saved from the storms, but sometimes the storms save us.
jesus never promises it will be easy. as a matter of fact he says the exact opposite.
the other part that hit me was Hosea 2:14- “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her…” - Just think about God enticing and coaxing a prostitute whom he is madly in love with into the desert to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. It doesn't matter that she has had so many other lovers - God is sold on her.
it's kind of scandalous.
she said: “I don’t want following you to be easy, challenge me. I want to prove that my love for you is real, deep, enduring and unshakable.
i echo that.
see, the paradox is that we try our very best in life to avoid challenging things and are constantly looking for an easy road. but on the other hand, it is through the challenges and the hardships that we feel the most alive. it's also in the challenges and hardships that you find out whether or not you actually have the faith you claim to posses. not some pre-trial, naive, idealistic, emotional high feeling about God, but an honest wrestling, questioning, doubting, conquering and enduring faith that is not shaken. if you've ever had a situation that you thought was absolute hell and then later when it was all said and done looked back and had nothing but gratitude for the whole wretched thing - you know what i mean. we want to be saved from the storms, but sometimes the storms save us.
jesus never promises it will be easy. as a matter of fact he says the exact opposite.
the other part that hit me was Hosea 2:14- “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her…” - Just think about God enticing and coaxing a prostitute whom he is madly in love with into the desert to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. It doesn't matter that she has had so many other lovers - God is sold on her.
it's kind of scandalous.
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