Purpose

I was on the bus, reading a chapter out of a book about Purpose. Purpose means a lot these days, everyone wants to rest assured that purpose is drenching their life. I know for myself, purpose has been a word to wrestle with.

The world is purposeful.

That's good news because these days, purpose is hard to find inside violence, slavery, and apathy. God said it best (of course) in Genesis that He created things that were to him "good". That is good news as well! Just think, the God over everything who is beyond everything and is not in need of anything from anybody creates us (and everything else) and says that "it is-" and "we are good". What was all the more interesting was that this book was explaining purpose in those three words.

Upon creation, we were once good and the world was once good. And God would have not bothered to create us and everything if it had no purpose and if we had no purpose, then we certainly would not be "good".

Somehow, we have drifted away from the idea of being "good". Well, I suppose we are incapable now to be good since we are not good. But when we dismiss us as being bad, we forget the idea that we have purpose because we were created with favor in God's eyes.

On the bus, I finished that chapter and looked out the window. I saw the river and - off in the distance - the city. It was a beautiful sight to see but with that beauty, there was also the evidence that this is broken. This world, these cities, and these people the world over have significant purpose. The doubter can rest assured that no one would exist today if that were not so.

So on this journey of seeking and finding may we seek and find this purpose we have in the Lord for the good of His glory and the fulfillment of our being.

One God

These days I have noticed that Christians don't like a lot of things.

These days I have also noticed that Christians don't except a lot of things.

These days one thing stirs my soul.

This is what it looks like.

This is how it feels.

Two Words

Take two adjectives to describe your earthly father.
Reviewing those two words, how does your heavenly father compare?
In what ways have you distorted your own perception of God?
How does that perception relflect your relationship with God?

The Progress of Understanding Sovereignty

"One week! One week! One week!"

This is what has been going through my mind all day today. In one week from now, my girlfriend will be here in MS and then in one week from Thursday, I will be making my move to NY. I get so excited at just the thought - I can't wait!

Lately, as I think more and more about this move and how my life may change in it, I realize how my life has been changing for some time. My life is full of change. In fact my life is change.

God is sovereign when it comes to change. Changes - whether good or bad - ultimately create what is in the here and now.

I am in awe of how God has shaped my life; and with the understanding that changes have brought me here, thus far, I am left to wonder then that if even the smallest most unnoticeable change were not to occur, how radically different would my life be? Would I have gone to Thailand if my family had never moved to Mississippi? Would I be moving to New York if my sister had never fallen in love? Would I believe in God if I had remained homeschooled? Would I even be alive if I had never liked music?

There is evident complexity in God's sovereignty. And still, it goes much deeper than I could ever comprehend.

Jesus loves me. I know that; and I have known that since I was four. But now, in this moment, at this time, I am beginning to understand more what that means and what that looks like. What's exciting, is that this understanding has been progressing, is progressing, and will continue to progress to allow me to fall in love with Jesus so much more.

"Ordinary people"

"There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors."
~"The Weight of Glory" in Screwtape Proposes a Toast by C.S. Lewis

This speaks loudly to me with glorious implications. God is taking me on a journey - as He is with all whom obtain this "salvation" offered - and He reminds me of that. It is no coincidence that I have recently come to understand more and more this word "salvation" and have now stumbled upon C.S. Lewis' words explaining the value and fragility of life. Both go hand in hand. Both are issues of life. Pursuing life does not stop at our own salvation - our own obtaining of life - it continues on. One of the biggest ways it does so is with others, their daily salvation called life.

Something I seem to struggle with is my relationship with people. I'm not too good with making new friends and meeting new people, yet I want to. And I'm not always so naturally eager to invest in one’s life, yet I also want to. Lewis is obviously revealing the value of a life in his statement: "There are no ordinary people". I have been chewing on these words for a few days now, and lately I seem to be reminded of the necessity to invest in one’s life and by doing so, show them the gospel. Now, I obviously don't mean street evangelism - that's not what I'm talking about; I mean full-on, no-strings-attached, legit investments into the lives of these [so-called] "ordinary people". And not like the modern day Pharisees either, with a bull horn in one hand and a track in the other; but like Jesus, who said "let me be your friend, let me be a part of your life, let me disciple you",. All people; the people we see everyday - those we joke with, sit next to, or even just walk by - they all deserve to be listened to, understood, and most difficult of all, loved.

We begin to see the world turn over on its head when we start to care more about immortal people rather than mortal objects of idolatry. But the good news is, is that even if it may not seem like it at first, it's far more beautiful on that side.

I'm moving soon, and I feel more encouraged than ever to - while still valuing and maintaining current relationships here - pursue the opportunities at hand for new investments in people's lives. Community may be one of the greatest gifts God has given us; and while understanding the eternal value of the statement that "there are no ordinary people", I want to use that gift to create gloriously beautiful things - "everlasting splendors".

Question:

Would you still be in this journey we call Christianity if Heaven was not in the picture?

...Think about that.
...No, really think about that.

One of the biggest lies the Church has ever told is that salvation is all about where you will go when you die.

I seem to be reminded everyday what "salvation" truly means. The more I think about it and learn about it, the more I see that this word "salvation" means so much more than eternal life. Of course, don't get me wrong, it's a Biblical fact that eternal life in Heaven in God's presence is a wonderful gift that comes from salvation. However I see far too often a gospel being preached that would be titled something like "Do you know where you will go when you die?!"

Eternal life is good and glorious but if that is the focal point and the sole desire of the salvation being claimed, then it could be frighteningly possible that salvation was not granted. But now, I'm not trying to rant on whether you know if your saved or not; this is the point:

Salvation is a process. A daily process. It is something we seek out everyday and as we seek it out, we go and do what salvation is meant for. God's kingdom is not just a heavenly one, it is here - as long as we bring it.
Salvation is our lives transformed by Christ.
Salvation is us fulfilling the purpose we were given.
Salvation is going, doing, being, living; it is linear and daily, and undeniably wonderfully glorious.

Yet, salvation cannot be summed up in one paragraph - at least not my me. The starting point and main point lies in this: Salvation is not all about where you will go when you die.

This is the purpose.

You know those moments of intense thinking that you might have throughout a day? Like those moments that cause you to say "ah ha!" or like when your sitting on a toilet and God speaks to you, giving you this sudden epiphany, realization, or whatever. I think it was when God decided to meet me while I was cleaning the lint from behind my ears in the shower yesterday that I noticed I have these moments a lot. The sad thing is, is that an hour later, that thought is gone; not completely, but it's never the same as when I first had the thought. I have had a habit in the past few months to counteract the forgetfulness. I tried to carry around some form of notebook, journal, or napkin, just something that would allow me to write the thought down so I could keep it. I still try to and it works well. But sometimes I might have a thought that is more like "a thought for the kingdom" or I might say "maybe I should share that thought". Not that my ideas are anything special or really worthy of sharing at all; my writing is not even great and for all I know could be quite boring or full of errors, but sometimes I just want to.

So that is what this whole blog business is all about - another way for my thoughts to leak out; its up to you (whoever might read this) to take or leave and do something or nothing with those thoughts.

My passion is for the knowledge of God. To just think of God, think of theology, understand the reasons why; or at least try to figure out the reasons - maybe even just merely ask the question itself. I just to see if maybe I could cause someone else to have that "ah ha!" moment. Because those are good and those are necessary, and it is how we grow in closeness with God. So that is the idea. If at just the very least this is only me getting out those thoughts, processing them, and chewing on them for myself. But the hope is to spark something, if anything at all.