1) New post every Tuesday, so people aren't needlessly returning on, like, Fridays.
2) Shorter posts (this is 900-ish)
I’ve given myself a word count limit of 1,000. Compare to last post’s 2,400.
3) I've heard people saying, "Oh, I have to catch up." You really don't. Just jump in whenever. There's not a cohesive narrative or something going on here.
The third thing about the Christian experience is the actual relationship with God. I was talking with an atheist friend and she was criticizing Christians for being too into the rules, doctrine, and legalism. She said, “I thought the point of that religion was that you actually got to have a relationship with God, personally.” Christians have been saying, “It’s not a religion; it’s a relationship” for roughly the past ten years. I agree, and I’m glad it’s become such a popular notion that atheists are cottoning on. We are children of God. His heirs and delights. People who have children will be able to glimpse the practical significance of that. So will people with good parents. Parents who will drop everything and rush to your aid when you call, even when you are grown. My mom once brought me Thanksgiving dinner when I couldn’t come home for a break and ate with me, even though she could only stay a few hours. My dad drove three hours to replace a dead battery in my car, because I was too stressed with exams to figure out how to get one myself. Good parents.
Like any relationship, you argue, you will disagree occasionally, things will get dry, things will get distant, things will get exciting, there’s friendship, there’s love, there’s anger, and there’s comfort. That why I always give the Bible the benefit of my anger/doubt. If God is a real being with a personality, occasionally he is going to disagree with me. So when the Bible contradicts my values and worldview, I can’t just say, “Oh, that isn’t supposed to be in there.” I have to understand the context, history, and literal meaning. And pray about it. You can’t just write off everything you don’t like, because it might be God getting trying to get his point across. You have to listen.
Any relationship is nurtured by spending time with the person. I have to admit, I am really bad at this. I’m a bad friend to God. It’s always on my terms, when I have time, when I miss God, or when I feel like it. I guess it’s better than no relationship at all, but I need to spend more time in prayer. I love the studying and thinking element, but when it comes to the real relationship, I get bored quicker. I’m really bad at this. People have joked that the conversation is one-sided, and I totally agree. Others have said that God is in the silence or that you have to keep your eyes and ears open, or trust your gut. Some say it all comes through suffering or life experience. Others say that God talks to you through creation or meditation, and some say that it is exclusively through the Bible. Wherever it is, I want more. Some say loving and serving others helps. What was it Victor Hugo said? “To love another person is to see the face of God.” I need to get better at that too. My mind is saturated with this stuff, but is my heart? Does anyone have any ideas?
What I love about the relationship bit is the honesty it demands. When you are praying and you try to pray for the “right” things or with the right intentions, about two minutes in, you think, “Oh, who am I fooling?” It’s God. When you act all holy, he’s totally rolling his eyes. Then you get honest. It’s like therapy. And the more you talk to God, the more you think about him, and then, ten minutes later, you start praying for the right things for genuine reasons. But, before that, you get to admit that you are weak. That you are frustrated. You rarely get to do that in this world. People spend a lot of time talking about rewards in heaven and what we will do there. The best part will undoubtedly be a closer relationship with God. Many people have said if God wasn’t there (in Heaven), they wouldn’t want any part of it. It wouldn’t be enough to make up for all the BS people go through here. I agree.
Atheists, when you bash God in a way that isn’t even humorous or call him a jerk or whatever, be careful of the Christians around you. Maybe they won’t get visibly offended or they will laugh at your joke to keep the peace. Maybe they make jokes about God themselves. But there is a line you cross where you can actually hurt their feelings. When someone bashes your loved one, who they don’t understand, it hurts your feelings, especially if you know that there is not time or way to defend the loved one. You may think you are just stating a hard, cold truth. Remember there is a relationship there, whether imagined or not, and be gentle. For some, God is their closest friend. If I were to give it all up, I'd miss him. Thanks for reading, ya'll. You're pretty good with the comments too!
The third thing about the Christian experience is the actual relationship with God. I was talking with an atheist friend and she was criticizing Christians for being too into the rules, doctrine, and legalism. She said, “I thought the point of that religion was that you actually got to have a relationship with God, personally.” Christians have been saying, “It’s not a religion; it’s a relationship” for roughly the past ten years. I agree, and I’m glad it’s become such a popular notion that atheists are cottoning on. We are children of God. His heirs and delights. People who have children will be able to glimpse the practical significance of that. So will people with good parents. Parents who will drop everything and rush to your aid when you call, even when you are grown. My mom once brought me Thanksgiving dinner when I couldn’t come home for a break and ate with me, even though she could only stay a few hours. My dad drove three hours to replace a dead battery in my car, because I was too stressed with exams to figure out how to get one myself. Good parents.
Like any relationship, you argue, you will disagree occasionally, things will get dry, things will get distant, things will get exciting, there’s friendship, there’s love, there’s anger, and there’s comfort. That why I always give the Bible the benefit of my anger/doubt. If God is a real being with a personality, occasionally he is going to disagree with me. So when the Bible contradicts my values and worldview, I can’t just say, “Oh, that isn’t supposed to be in there.” I have to understand the context, history, and literal meaning. And pray about it. You can’t just write off everything you don’t like, because it might be God getting trying to get his point across. You have to listen.
Any relationship is nurtured by spending time with the person. I have to admit, I am really bad at this. I’m a bad friend to God. It’s always on my terms, when I have time, when I miss God, or when I feel like it. I guess it’s better than no relationship at all, but I need to spend more time in prayer. I love the studying and thinking element, but when it comes to the real relationship, I get bored quicker. I’m really bad at this. People have joked that the conversation is one-sided, and I totally agree. Others have said that God is in the silence or that you have to keep your eyes and ears open, or trust your gut. Some say it all comes through suffering or life experience. Others say that God talks to you through creation or meditation, and some say that it is exclusively through the Bible. Wherever it is, I want more. Some say loving and serving others helps. What was it Victor Hugo said? “To love another person is to see the face of God.” I need to get better at that too. My mind is saturated with this stuff, but is my heart? Does anyone have any ideas?
What I love about the relationship bit is the honesty it demands. When you are praying and you try to pray for the “right” things or with the right intentions, about two minutes in, you think, “Oh, who am I fooling?” It’s God. When you act all holy, he’s totally rolling his eyes. Then you get honest. It’s like therapy. And the more you talk to God, the more you think about him, and then, ten minutes later, you start praying for the right things for genuine reasons. But, before that, you get to admit that you are weak. That you are frustrated. You rarely get to do that in this world. People spend a lot of time talking about rewards in heaven and what we will do there. The best part will undoubtedly be a closer relationship with God. Many people have said if God wasn’t there (in Heaven), they wouldn’t want any part of it. It wouldn’t be enough to make up for all the BS people go through here. I agree.
Atheists, when you bash God in a way that isn’t even humorous or call him a jerk or whatever, be careful of the Christians around you. Maybe they won’t get visibly offended or they will laugh at your joke to keep the peace. Maybe they make jokes about God themselves. But there is a line you cross where you can actually hurt their feelings. When someone bashes your loved one, who they don’t understand, it hurts your feelings, especially if you know that there is not time or way to defend the loved one. You may think you are just stating a hard, cold truth. Remember there is a relationship there, whether imagined or not, and be gentle. For some, God is their closest friend. If I were to give it all up, I'd miss him. Thanks for reading, ya'll. You're pretty good with the comments too!
One of my favorite film scenes of all time comes from the Charlton Heston epic "Ben-Hur". Judah Ben-Hur, the movie's protagonist, seemingly has it all; wealth, status, and family. All of these things are stripped from him in an instant by his Roman oppressors, and he is condemned to die as a galley slave by his best friend.
ReplyDeleteHe is forced to march to the sea through the desert, and nearly dies of thirst and exhaustion. The caravan stops at a small village, and the people of the town scramble to give the condemned men some water. Just as Judah is about to receive this gift the Roman commander takes the cup away, drinks some of it, and pours the rest out in front of him.
Judah collapses on the ground, and quietly asks, "God, help me." After a dramatic pause, ee then see a hand reach down with a cup of water, and Judah slowly begins to drink. He is helped from the ground by this stranger.
The Roman commander becomes enraged, and moves to strike the mystery man down, but the figure turns and faces him. As if struck by an unseen force, the Centurion stops in his tracks, and cannot move or say anything else. He looks puzzled, staggers, and gradually turns away; powerless to do anything to Judah or the man.
The mystery man, of course, is Jesus Christ.
This scene represents to me what kind of relationship I have always tried to have with God. He is a mystery in so many ways, but I have always felt his presence; especially when things get tough. There are things that we simply cannot overcome without help, and it takes a humble, wise person to realize that you need some force in your life bigger than the seemingly insurmountable problems.
I am proud to be one of His children; not because I deserve his love, but that He loves me in spite of our sinful nature. What other force in the universe could do that except God? I wonder...
Love it. Aaaand now I have to go watch that movie.
ReplyDeleteI saw a musical version of Ben Hur in Orlando. Let's just say the movie is better.
Great blog so far. My comments aren't really about this particular post, just a few things I am interested in hearing more about from you in general.
ReplyDeleteHow do you generally approach your daily Bible reading? I've tried different approaches in the past, and, while some have worked better for me than others, none have completely worked for me. Currently I find I get the most out of it if I do an in depth study on a particular topic or book of the Bible, but I'm always on the lookout for other methods that work for different people.
Also, I'd love it if you did a post about some Christian music you enjoy. I don't really expect our tastes to gel, but I always like checking out other peoples recommendations to see what sticks. I like the music as I sing along to it at my local church, but I haven't found too many bands I like for general listening.
Hey, thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteConfession: My Bible reading isn't daily so much as a couple of times a week, but a long time at once. You do have to find things that work for you, otherwise it becomes a chore. I have a mix of things I do. I listen to sermons that I get on podcasts from iTunes while I'm on the move if I can't do reading time. Sometimes I start from the beginning of the Bible and just read the whole thing. Sometimes I get a commentary on one book and focus on that one book.
If you read three chapters of the Bible per day and five on the weekends, you can finish the whole thing in one year. Knowing that fact helped me finish it for the first time. My dad isn't the best reader, so he has the Bible on cd. There are iTunes podcasts that will read you the whole Bible in a year if you can't afford it. I also enjoy Christian nonfiction books. Tim Keller's recent "King's Cross" goes through the book of Mark, and it's fun to read that book with his commentary along with Mark. I like books like that. Ones that take you through parts of the Bible so that you can read the Bible along with it.
There are devotional books out there, but I've never found a good one. I didn't care for "His Utmost for His Highest," but lots of other people do. I'd just say be flexible, and if it helps you to pick a time in the day or week to spend in the Bible, do that too. Eventually, you'll get absorbed in it and you might not even have to set times.
I'll make a post about music after I finish this "series." Maybe a big playlist of my favorite spiritual songs. That's actually a great question to ask me, because I'm a music junkie and I've found some good Christian songs over the years.