What's on my Mind
I'm feeling contemplative lately. There are some thoughts on my mind, and I'm not sure if I am capable of going into any depth with them, but you are welcome to use them as starting points for your own deep thoughts. So, here we go:
1. I never want to be too smart to believe in God - I'd like to think of myself as an educated, logical kind of guy, but there are things that have to be taken on faith and it's possible to reason yourself into the unreasonable.
2. Heroes should save people - But not even a hero can save someone from themselves. The problem is, what good is being a hero if you can't make a difference when it matters?
3. Education is the eternal enemy of oppression - A society that devalues knowledge is on the brink of ruin. An educated populace will never be enslaved.
4. Great people do great things not because they think they can, but because they know they must - The loss of American ingenuity saddens me. For example, the reason we use gasoline in cars is that it is combustible. Oxygen, in a pure form, is very combustible. A fish's gills extract oxygen from water. Therefore, couldn't someone study a fish's gills, create an engine that mimics this function, and we could realistically have an engine that runs on water. Am I the only one thinking about things like this?5. For many, there is a space between intention and action - But as a Christian, can I afford that space? I intend to glorify Christ, but do my actions match those intentions? I was watching the "Baby Borrowers" finale a few days ago and it ends with the statement, "All the teenagers say they want to wait to have children." Okay, fair enough, but that intention means nothing if their actions do not mirror those intentions. It is not enough to claim my faith; I must also live it.
6. Ezekiel 3 - I was reading this chapter and it really got to me. "When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood." and again, "when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood." I think we don't want to be seen as judgemental, that people are mature enough to handle themselves, but in this passage God holds us accountable for when we are too scared to help someone find their way.
Cheery thoughts, I know. Anyway, that's where I am right now.
posted by Phylemon at 6:54 PM
2 Comments:
Paul good thoughts. I like deep, critical thinking. Here's my response.
1. Where I'm at in my educational path, we value evidence. That's all that matters. When I look at research or statements people make about relationships, I think "How do you know that?" or "What's your evidence?" or "How can really draw those kinds of conlcusions?" I find myself doing the same thing with my faith. It's good to think critical, but I think it can lead to a path where you can't find "evidence" and thus don't believe at all. Right now my struggle is on the term "blessings" because I just don't know how to conceptualize it.
2. Sometimes people don't want, or are "not ready" to be saved or brought out of whatever their situation/lifestly/mindset/perspective is. It reminds me of when Mr. Incredible saved the man who had jumped off the building and was mad about being saved. I think it depends on what you are heroing someone from. If it's a burning building or having an intervention to send someone to rehab, I think that's possible whether the person is willing or not. But if you are talking psychological stuff or changing behavior, I'm not sure it can be done without the person's willingness or conviction to be saved. I like to think my role is small moments of hope and reassurance, that I may not be able to pull someone out of where they are, but I can help even if it's only a moment.
5. And what is it about sex that makes people lose their mind, so much so that they don't think of the implications of their actions? I do not know how to answer this question, but I'm growing increasingly concerned about my own spiritual drive. And it causes me to think critically about the nature and function of "church" in our culture.
6. I get what you are saying. Sometimes I think being friends with people causes us to avoid this kind of interaction out of fear of losing this friend. But then again this may show how shallow our friendships may be. It may go back to the idea of "church". Are we together because we are friends and enjoy "fellowship"? Or are we there to grow in faith? Are these related or can you see difference in these 2 states?
Is it true that friends are friends forever, if the Lord is the Lord of them? I find I am flawed, foolish, fearful and faithless. My life is like a pineapple upside down cake, all the good stuff is on the bottom, but when God turns it over undeserved I am fortunate to enjoy the richness,sweetness of his grace.
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