I know it's a weak basis on which to have as a foundation for any doctrinal argument, but I do love movie quotes nonetheless:
God: "Parting a soup is not a miracle, Bruce. It's a magic trick. A single mom who's working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says "no" to drugs and "yes" to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realize is *they* have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle."
- Bruce Almighty
I acknowledge that there's only so much we can do, in our fallen, humanistic state, and that anything that we can do, is only through the unfathomable grace of God; but let's balance that argument also, with what we're doing with God's grace, if anything at all;
Is it a talent we bury in the ground? Or are we out there, investing in the world not what we feel we have earned, but the everything, that grace, God has given us?
Monday, April 30, 2007
Frustrated pew warmer :)
I’m sitting in the evening service at the moment, listening to Corey Turner speak, and to be honest it’s hard to listen to him without a complete biasness; he’s a very overt charismatic, who chooses to use the normal methods of delivery in this context, which could be summed up as impassioned speech
My point of difference at this moment, is that Corey is purporting that the church needs to embrace the supernatural aspect more; and yes, the supernatural is in the bible, and were enacted through the disciples
I love though, the dialogue in Bruce Almighty, where they reduce the parting of soup to a parlour trick, and accord the status of a miracle to a single mother being able to work two jobs yet still find time to take her son to soccer practice
What’s harder; praying for someone as a once off, or visiting them every week, journeying through their struggles with them?
Yes, in the ideal, you would combine the both of those, you would pray AND journey with them, but if we are brutally honest with ourselves, how often do we just leave things at a prayer and the token follow up?
GOD is not a super side kick!! He’s NOT there for us to COMMAND him!! To have him conduct parlour tricks at our beck and call, or our behest!!
...
I sit here though, and wonder; what’s the point of being able to sit here and pick at things? Or that matter, is there really a point in us being able to get our doctrine super, squeakily correct?
So I have an issue with the church I go to choosing to make a “stand” on gay/same-sex registration, whilst advocating for parties that continue to make our upper-middle class lives more and more comfortable at the expense of the battlers; a church that is ok with making “proxy” judgments yeah, I have an issue with that
But at the end of the day, what does that matter? No, not a contentious question, but moreover a seeking one; seriously, what does it matter?
So what if I’m right doctrinally, or the church I go to is right??? At the end of the day will this have changed the world in any way???
Perhaps no, not really, and perhaps because the proportion of our lives that we truly devote to God is just that small
And before we start to argue about that, let’s differentiate between time we spend doing church things, and proportion of lives that is truly God’s. There’s a difference; time spent involved in church things could also be boiled down to what we choose to do with our left over parts of life
How much do we compartmentalise our lives; how much do we tell God that we’ve got the job thing worked out, the life plan worked out, the car plan worked out, the partner thing worked out (“I want that one!” What if God has a different person? Do we trust him, or do we just want?), and THEN we give Him the remainder of all that for Him to use???
So perhaps it’s not all that bad if we’re doctrinally incorrect, because the extent of the damage/good we can do out of the minute portion of our lives we truly give to God is probably, in the scheme of bettering the world, proportionally as small
My point of difference at this moment, is that Corey is purporting that the church needs to embrace the supernatural aspect more; and yes, the supernatural is in the bible, and were enacted through the disciples
I love though, the dialogue in Bruce Almighty, where they reduce the parting of soup to a parlour trick, and accord the status of a miracle to a single mother being able to work two jobs yet still find time to take her son to soccer practice
What’s harder; praying for someone as a once off, or visiting them every week, journeying through their struggles with them?
Yes, in the ideal, you would combine the both of those, you would pray AND journey with them, but if we are brutally honest with ourselves, how often do we just leave things at a prayer and the token follow up?
GOD is not a super side kick!! He’s NOT there for us to COMMAND him!! To have him conduct parlour tricks at our beck and call, or our behest!!
...
I sit here though, and wonder; what’s the point of being able to sit here and pick at things? Or that matter, is there really a point in us being able to get our doctrine super, squeakily correct?
So I have an issue with the church I go to choosing to make a “stand” on gay/same-sex registration, whilst advocating for parties that continue to make our upper-middle class lives more and more comfortable at the expense of the battlers; a church that is ok with making “proxy” judgments yeah, I have an issue with that
But at the end of the day, what does that matter? No, not a contentious question, but moreover a seeking one; seriously, what does it matter?
So what if I’m right doctrinally, or the church I go to is right??? At the end of the day will this have changed the world in any way???
Perhaps no, not really, and perhaps because the proportion of our lives that we truly devote to God is just that small
And before we start to argue about that, let’s differentiate between time we spend doing church things, and proportion of lives that is truly God’s. There’s a difference; time spent involved in church things could also be boiled down to what we choose to do with our left over parts of life
How much do we compartmentalise our lives; how much do we tell God that we’ve got the job thing worked out, the life plan worked out, the car plan worked out, the partner thing worked out (“I want that one!” What if God has a different person? Do we trust him, or do we just want?), and THEN we give Him the remainder of all that for Him to use???
So perhaps it’s not all that bad if we’re doctrinally incorrect, because the extent of the damage/good we can do out of the minute portion of our lives we truly give to God is probably, in the scheme of bettering the world, proportionally as small
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Ingredients...
It's funny the things I seem to need to be truly content...
A wet bike ride, quality comic book reading time, a packet of lollies and a sappy, American romantic comedy - these seem to be the bizar, key ingredients
A new bike is nice and all, and a job is good for putting bread on the table... but they don't make me (or at least, they're not meant to), and when those things aren't there for me anymore, will my foundation just disappear?
I'm beginning to think that those questions can never be answered by anyone properly, unless they regularly find themselves in those situations, where the carpet is regularly swept out from under their feet :P
I've attended and gone to many things in the last couple of weeks, some pretty exciting, some funny, some with people, and some even with a few interesting conversations, but tonight has been the first night in quite a while where I've gone to bed actually content
The joy and anticipation of the first lolly as I bust open the packet, settling onto the bench at Borders (Lygon Street) with a goodly collection of comic books, ready to be indulged with costumed crusaders... seems to be simply timeless and irreplaceable
In a society that subliminally indoctrinates us with the mindset that to have a life of any standing, one must be a social butterfly, that for a weekend to be considered a good one, one must be "out" having a big one on Fri/Sat nights; it seems quite contrary to like spending time with myself so much (or is it just narcissism on my part?)
Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy for those who have big weekends, and enjoy them myself on occasion (prob too many), but at the end of a day, when it comes time to slink into bed, they still seem to fall short of a good packet of lollies (not too big, or I'll get sick :P), a place to sit and a stack of comic books
A wet bike ride, quality comic book reading time, a packet of lollies and a sappy, American romantic comedy - these seem to be the bizar, key ingredients
A new bike is nice and all, and a job is good for putting bread on the table... but they don't make me (or at least, they're not meant to), and when those things aren't there for me anymore, will my foundation just disappear?
I'm beginning to think that those questions can never be answered by anyone properly, unless they regularly find themselves in those situations, where the carpet is regularly swept out from under their feet :P
I've attended and gone to many things in the last couple of weeks, some pretty exciting, some funny, some with people, and some even with a few interesting conversations, but tonight has been the first night in quite a while where I've gone to bed actually content
The joy and anticipation of the first lolly as I bust open the packet, settling onto the bench at Borders (Lygon Street) with a goodly collection of comic books, ready to be indulged with costumed crusaders... seems to be simply timeless and irreplaceable
In a society that subliminally indoctrinates us with the mindset that to have a life of any standing, one must be a social butterfly, that for a weekend to be considered a good one, one must be "out" having a big one on Fri/Sat nights; it seems quite contrary to like spending time with myself so much (or is it just narcissism on my part?)
Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy for those who have big weekends, and enjoy them myself on occasion (prob too many), but at the end of a day, when it comes time to slink into bed, they still seem to fall short of a good packet of lollies (not too big, or I'll get sick :P), a place to sit and a stack of comic books
Friday, April 27, 2007
Last days...
I want to blog today, but I load up the page somewhat sheepishly, knowing that I’ve rather neglected it!! I almost feel as someone asking someone out… sheepish… :P
Why today? Why blog today? Because it’s my last day! Well I’ll have to clarify seeing that in the last year or so I’ve had quite a few last days… last day at church (before moving into the city), last day at Urban Seed, last day at uni, last day with my bike, last day of a relationship, last day of bachelor-ness, and now, of the last days, I’ve come to my last day at World Vision
It seems a little clichéd to say this, but my time here really seems to have flown by. Incredibly lucky to even land the job in the first place, let alone the work I got to see and be involved in as well as the people I got to associate with, all has been amazing
Whilst it’s only been 4+ months I was here, and have been looking forward to the first whole week or so of rest I’ll have next week (something I’ve not had, continually running for the last year and a half!!), I still come to the end of it a little sad to leave
In hindsight, I’ve loved all the places I’ve been able to work at, and really hope that it’s been a little part of me bringing a part of that enjoyment to the places I go
Why today? Why blog today? Because it’s my last day! Well I’ll have to clarify seeing that in the last year or so I’ve had quite a few last days… last day at church (before moving into the city), last day at Urban Seed, last day at uni, last day with my bike, last day of a relationship, last day of bachelor-ness, and now, of the last days, I’ve come to my last day at World Vision
It seems a little clichéd to say this, but my time here really seems to have flown by. Incredibly lucky to even land the job in the first place, let alone the work I got to see and be involved in as well as the people I got to associate with, all has been amazing
Whilst it’s only been 4+ months I was here, and have been looking forward to the first whole week or so of rest I’ll have next week (something I’ve not had, continually running for the last year and a half!!), I still come to the end of it a little sad to leave
In hindsight, I’ve loved all the places I’ve been able to work at, and really hope that it’s been a little part of me bringing a part of that enjoyment to the places I go
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Guess I'll rest when I'm dead :)
I feel like laughing-crying-smiling-yelling all at the same time; it's been such a long sprint, it's been confusing, mostly because I haven't had the time to stop, reflect, and just spend that time with me and my God
Where to start? Wonder if it works if I just do it in straight chronological order...
Tues 3/4:
The day I pick up my new bike, after a few days of lots of communication back and forth, and a 3hr roundtrip to Maidstone, after waking up & getting to work @ 7:30am; later on that night, I get to unwind a little by seeing the new Audrey Tautou movie with viki, but by the end of it all it's late, and I'm exhausted
Wed 4/4:
The number plate I've been hankering for arrives in the mail, which after another long, tiring day @ work puts a small smile on my face, but then suddenly my day takes a sombre turn with news of Grandma's passing; I meet up with Mikey later that night, as the news of passing only slowly, slowly starts to register; again, I finish the night much later than I'd hoped, and again with no chance for personal and quiet respite
Thurs 5/4
Work is still a rush of activity as the project I'm on is reaching it's climax, with me at the core of it all; attempting to keep it going, deal with my Grandma's passing, and get as much as I can done before a long night in a farewell to Yen Pan & Dik Siew; again the night, whilst not a terrible one, ends much later than I wanted
Fri 6/4
Wedding @ midday, Easter play rehearsal in the afternoon and wedding reception in the evening; the day just seemed like an endless transition from one thing to another, all the more confusing with unresolved emotions still floating around as well as a physically exhausted state
Sat 7/4
A brief but significant break for me; I get to half-sleep in till 3:30 in the arvo, allowing me to catch up on some much needed sleep; help Jo a presentation for the funeral and then, it's off to the gentlemen's tournament, where in my half-aware & untrained state I manage to win one, lose one, then run off to practice for the Easter play, then go home to catch 3.5hrs of sleep...
Sun 8/4
...before having to wake up @ 5:30am to pick up Leanne from the airport; thank God for the 4pm sleep in on Sat :S Drive to the airport, come back, change, go to church, act, have lunch, go to viki's and then bum the day with her... all the way until 3-4am Monday morning :S Yikes... even just mentally recapping that spurt is scary...
Mon 8/4
TRIED to sleep-in, but calls & msgs kept waking me, so mission-not-really-accomplished; get up & dressed for the private viewing for my grandma, head back to my grandma's for dinner, then head all the way to Bundoora for Will's surprise, and then head all the way back, to try and get very little sleep for...
Tues 9/4
... the funeral, for which we all have to be up @ the crack of 7:30am; not only a day of incredible emotional stress, but physically exhausting as well, falling asleep in cars and at home for 15-20mins at a time to just keep up with it all
A beautiful day, and needless to say, an incredibly sad day; the day, that I've had not time to prepare mentally for, given lack of time, and just crashed into, and therefore found myself trying to deal with it all
Sad moreover, that even though I was farewelling my grandmother, my father was saying goodbye to his mum, that last of his parents, the devastatingly haunting image of an eldest son having to let go of his mum and dad for the last time; it is at last, my realisation of that significance, that gives me a deeper breadth of what it all means
Wed 10/4
And here I am, back at work, again at the end of a day too long, still running, still looking for a place to rest and be quiet, and yet to know when that time will come... crying softly, not over my exhausting run but for my father's loss, as I type
Where to start? Wonder if it works if I just do it in straight chronological order...
Tues 3/4:
The day I pick up my new bike, after a few days of lots of communication back and forth, and a 3hr roundtrip to Maidstone, after waking up & getting to work @ 7:30am; later on that night, I get to unwind a little by seeing the new Audrey Tautou movie with viki, but by the end of it all it's late, and I'm exhausted
Wed 4/4:
The number plate I've been hankering for arrives in the mail, which after another long, tiring day @ work puts a small smile on my face, but then suddenly my day takes a sombre turn with news of Grandma's passing; I meet up with Mikey later that night, as the news of passing only slowly, slowly starts to register; again, I finish the night much later than I'd hoped, and again with no chance for personal and quiet respite
Thurs 5/4
Work is still a rush of activity as the project I'm on is reaching it's climax, with me at the core of it all; attempting to keep it going, deal with my Grandma's passing, and get as much as I can done before a long night in a farewell to Yen Pan & Dik Siew; again the night, whilst not a terrible one, ends much later than I wanted
Fri 6/4
Wedding @ midday, Easter play rehearsal in the afternoon and wedding reception in the evening; the day just seemed like an endless transition from one thing to another, all the more confusing with unresolved emotions still floating around as well as a physically exhausted state
Sat 7/4
A brief but significant break for me; I get to half-sleep in till 3:30 in the arvo, allowing me to catch up on some much needed sleep; help Jo a presentation for the funeral and then, it's off to the gentlemen's tournament, where in my half-aware & untrained state I manage to win one, lose one, then run off to practice for the Easter play, then go home to catch 3.5hrs of sleep...
Sun 8/4
...before having to wake up @ 5:30am to pick up Leanne from the airport; thank God for the 4pm sleep in on Sat :S Drive to the airport, come back, change, go to church, act, have lunch, go to viki's and then bum the day with her... all the way until 3-4am Monday morning :S Yikes... even just mentally recapping that spurt is scary...
Mon 8/4
TRIED to sleep-in, but calls & msgs kept waking me, so mission-not-really-accomplished; get up & dressed for the private viewing for my grandma, head back to my grandma's for dinner, then head all the way to Bundoora for Will's surprise, and then head all the way back, to try and get very little sleep for...
Tues 9/4
... the funeral, for which we all have to be up @ the crack of 7:30am; not only a day of incredible emotional stress, but physically exhausting as well, falling asleep in cars and at home for 15-20mins at a time to just keep up with it all
A beautiful day, and needless to say, an incredibly sad day; the day, that I've had not time to prepare mentally for, given lack of time, and just crashed into, and therefore found myself trying to deal with it all
Sad moreover, that even though I was farewelling my grandmother, my father was saying goodbye to his mum, that last of his parents, the devastatingly haunting image of an eldest son having to let go of his mum and dad for the last time; it is at last, my realisation of that significance, that gives me a deeper breadth of what it all means
Wed 10/4
And here I am, back at work, again at the end of a day too long, still running, still looking for a place to rest and be quiet, and yet to know when that time will come... crying softly, not over my exhausting run but for my father's loss, as I type
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
