Becoming our parents

Why is there such a stigma associated with becoming like one's parents?   This past November, I was hunting with my father and he told me that when he was in college he would fill his breaks-- especially Thanksgiving break-- with hunting.  I have found myself doing the same.  And, it dawned on me that I am, in fact, becoming my father.  At first thought, I don't like this idea.  It haunts me.  But, at the same time, I have no reason to fear this approaching fact.  My father is truly a man of God, living his life faithfully to what he believes is God's will for him.  He is a great example for my brother and I, as he does a job he hates to provide for his family.

Furthermore, we are created in the image of God-- our Father.  With this being said, we are called to imitate Jesus-- a reflection of the Father.  So since we are created and instructed to imitate God the Father, why is it such a problem for us to find ourselves becoming like our earthly parents?  It's what nature dictates.

This Is It

First of all, yes the title is an allusion to the late Michael Jackson's released film documenting his rehearsals in preparation for his out of this world final concert tour.  And, the title has nothing to do with anything.  I simply wanted to title something "This Is It" ever since I recently viewed the film with the same title.

I believe I have come up with a solution for my lack of posting.  Often times I will have a thought or think of a question and write it down with the intent to write about it at some point.  Most of the time these ideas stay in the form of a blank Word document with only the title or first line or two written.  My solution is to post these questions and ideas on here and then follow up with a few more thoughts.  Nothing too elaborate, but something far more productive than what is currently being done to address the oh-so-many thoughts circulating in my head that result from the exposure to the minds of intellectual giants in the classroom and the church.

My next post will be a quick reference guide to several musings in which I will then begin to elaborate on.

Faith.Hope.Love.

police officers

Have you ever noticed that you drive differently when a police car is near? I definitely do, and while my recent two speeding tickets have changed my driving actions enough on by themselves, the presence of an officer of the law has such an added influence on the manner in which I operated a vehicle. This leads me to a question. Is this right? It definitely has something to say about not only our culture, but people in general. Do what you want as long as no one is watching. It’s okay as long as you aren’t caught. Now while I have definitely been guilty of this mentality on the road (disclaimer: I am a responsible driver who has made a few mistakes and takes full responsibility for them) at times I cannot help but relate this mode of thinking to Christianity.

In Sunday school it is stressed that God is always watching. WWJD? Would you do this action if Jesus was in the room? Proverbs 15:3 states “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” So we have this knowledge that God is omnipresent, but how does this knowledge play out in our actions? I often feel that Christians, including myself, take this idea that God is everywhere—this idea that Christ is not just next to us but that we are in Christ and Christ is in us—and let it stay as this grand idea. Just as the presence of police officers hold drivers accountable so should the continuous omnipresence of God hold his children accountable. We cannot afford to dismiss this idea as trivial.

Time

I wonder what it was like for Jesus existing in time when he was on earth all those years ago. It really is a strange concept to think about. I believe that that was one of the biggest differences for him. That would just be so weird to not be constrained by time and then to step down into time. It would be like being an only child and then have your parents adopt a child your same age but even more so.

It's quite interesting, this idea of time and how it is of itself an invention by God. Time keeps on marching yet for God, He just exists. His name really sheds light to it. "I am."

Oh my what random and interesting sounds come from observing a game of catch phrase in the background.

It's very late right now. Or early. Depending on the perspective.

I'm not exactly with it right now. We'll see how tomorrow morning comes... or this coming morning... if it even happens.

Well, the summer is winding down really quickly. It's crazy how fast it went, but at the same time it seems to have been really well. I guess this comes from the amount that was packed into it. It's been so busy. But, it's been a great summer.

I don't really have much to say right now. It's late. Very late. And, I'm not even home yet. Crazy. Wow, what a pointless post.

Peace.

Start of Summer 2009

So far it has been a great summer. I've spent time teaching, studying, hanging out with students, hanging out with friends, hanging out with students with friends. It's been great. Tiring, but still awesome.

Over the past few days I have really learned that I still need time to veg out. Time to just chill with myself. I am constantly moving and constantly doing stuff. Even when I am not doing something, I am usually still doing something.

It's so easy to get burned out in ministry and it's important to take time away from it. This also involves taking time away from thinking about it.

We are about to head to camp in the morning. I still haven't packed. This is potentially a problem. Oh well, it happens.

Peace.

Okay, I know I haven't written/updated this thing in a long time but it's all okay because no one really reads my blog anyway.

I have decided to update the look of this page and I'm planning on creating another one purely for my sermons and teaching topics.

Summer is going great. Very busy with church.

Peace