Sunday, June 27, 2010

shall we dance?


“To give that mystery its proper theological name, it’s the coinherence of the three Persons --- in all their acts and in every aspect of their essence – in the unity of their “Godness.” But the most fascinating thing about this coinherence is that it rubs off on the world that the Trinity brings forth. When God creates man in his own image, for instance (“man,” just to remind you, is the ‘adham, male and female), he makes us into beings totally in love with mutual indwelling, with walking into, with dancing into relationships at every turn of our lives. For one thing, he’s made us positively wild about turning two people into “one flesh” in marriage. For another, he’s made us just as driven to implicate ourselves in friendships, families, towns, cities, and states. He’s made a sociable world. And when we (at our best) dance our way into that creation, it becomes a vast ballet of coinherences.

“But it’s not only human creatures who are made in the image of this dance. The whole natural order – from the nearest grain of sand to the farthest star – is just as much an image of the mutual indwelling of the Persons of the Trinity. Nothing in creation acts or exists by itself; everything interacts with everything else. Poetry invites us to fall in love with this dance. Science charms us with the intricacy and the elegance of it. And theology, at its best, lifts us to the true Reason for the dancing in the first place.”

Robert F. Capon

Thursday, June 24, 2010

guess what...


...there really is good news.

God is not angry!

God does not keep score!

God is not distant nor emotionally detached!

God is not easily offended!

God is not waiting to smack you when you mess up!

God is not against you...

in any way...

ever!

Father is for you!

Father is with you!

Father is madly in love with you!

Father enjoys your company!

Father smiles when you smile!

Father laughs at your corny jokes!

Father delights when you see something He has been showing you!

Father loves when you sing - even off-key!

He loves you...

forever...

without limit...

without bribery...

or coercion...

without change...

without end...

Father loves you!

'tis a mystery...


By nature, I am of a curious sort. Drove my folks ding-bats with 'why, what, where, when, who, etc'. I love a mystery, but I also love a mystery solved. Always wanted to know what was going on, why it was going on, what the outcome would be. This penchant for wanting/needing? to know came with me when He appeared in my life years ago - back in the dark ages.

To some degree, I'm still wanting to know. BUT... and this is a big but... I find myself in the 'curious' place of settling into His hands regarding the mystery of His kingdom and the working out thereof. He has brought much peace to my heart regarding the "grand strategies" of His salvation. Truly, I don't believe we humans - with our finite minds, reasonings and studies - can fully grasp this mystery. Or any of the mysteries of God.

Hallelujah, I don't have to figure it out. He does not require me to do so. It is enough - for me - that He has it figured out.

This I do believe in my depths - He never forces anyone to love Him - never forces anyone to follow Him - never forces anyone to desire Him. He could - He has the power - and the right - but I don't think He does.

This I also believe - we come to the Father by the Son and no other way. He does this and accomplishes this in our own lives in His own mysterious way. How? I don't know. But it's ok for me to not know. Just to know that He does it and I can rest in the fact that He is wise, kind, true and just.

Also, in the depths of my heart, I sense that He knows the aborigine in the back side of some dark jungle. He knows if that person's heart's desire is to know the One Who is greater than he. He knows that person has never and will never hear a missionary preach Jesus. And yet… I sense… somehow, in His mysterious way… He is more than able to bring that one in and through and because of Jesus to Himself. I don't believe He forces that one to say `yes' to Him, though.

BUT… and here is another huge `but'… if I am mistaken, and that aborigine is not brought into Jesus - that is ok, too, because He is wise, kind, true and just.

I believe He has `it' worked out - all of it. His working it out has not and will not in any way violate the scriptures nor His revelation of Himself to His creation. How?

It's in His left-hand of power.

In that hand I can rest.

faith... love... wisdom...


Came across this in some old notes - don't know who said it so can't give credit.


"Ask anyone with great faith how they came to it and they will probably tell you about circumstances that would make even a brave man tremble. Ask anyone how they came by great love and they will make you weep with heartache. Ask one with great wisdom how they attained it and they will blush as they tell you of their path of foolishness."

Monday, June 21, 2010

in praise of the ordinary


ordinary
extraordinary
What makes the difference?

Are we to live ordinary lives - be ordinary people - do ordinary things?

What is ordinary, anyway?

Most of us live what could be called ordinary lives. We are those ordinary people doing those ordinary things.

Most of us are not Elijahs or Jacobs or Johns or Pauls. Most of us don't go around the world speaking to millions. Most of us are not even known by the folks who live around the corner and down two blocks - unless our kids know their kids.

We build houses and live in them; we plant gardens and eat the fruit and pick the flowers; we have dogs and cats, gold fish and parakeets, horses and chickens.

We marry and have babies; go to work; go to school; grow up and grow old. We laugh, cry, rejoice and moan. All common. All usual. All normal - and ordinary.

Common - average - usual - middling - standard - normal lives.

What if the ordinary could be something more? Is meant to be something more? Something other than hum-drum and ho-hum?

There's a song that talks about wanting to 'breathe the air like I'm meant to on ordinary days and see the things that I'm supposed to see on ordinary days.'

What if our ordinary days are meant to be extra-ordinary days?

Because He is right here with us, filling each day and each minute with Himself, the ordinary becomes a beautiful golden gift to us of Life - a golden cup containing Him.

The divine is with us transforming the mundane - the average, common, every-day day - into the kingdom of God - at hand - in us - with us.

Oh, let us see the things You desire to show us, let us breathe the air You have for us.

Let us live ordinary days and lives made exquisitely extraordinary - because of You.

can you hear me now...


... not tomorrow

... or yesterday

not in three hours or last night

but now

... today

... this hour - this minute - this very second

Can you hear Me now?

Today - while it is called today - if you will - hear His voice.

How do we do this? How do we hear Him as immediately as now?

Think for a moment about a person you really, really like. One you really, really appreciate. One you enjoy and with whom you just love hanging around. One you would like to get to know better. One you love.

Consider this person feels the same way about you.

Ok, now imagine that you could somehow crawl inside this person - and this person could crawl inside you - all while remaining who you both are. Weird, I know - but think about how very close you two would be. The words 'very close' do not even come near to describing what it would be like.

Now, consider this. He really, really likes you. He appreciates you, enjoys hanging out with you. In fact, He loves you more than you know and He has made the way for Him to be in you - and for you to be in Him.

Really!

Father in Jesus, Jesus in Father... I in You and You in Me and them in Us

This understanding is nothing new. We have heard it for years. We have read the passages of scripture. Probably heard more than one sermon or teaching on it.

Christ in you the hope...

Nevertheless, have we experienced it? Have the words on the page - in the sermon - in the teaching - have those words become life to us? And in us? Has the meaning behind the words - and the transaction - become flesh and dwelt within us? Yet?

For some of us - perhaps many of us - walking in it - living in it - walking it out - living it out - is something yet to be.

Living in this closer than intimate fellowship takes learning. It does not happen overnight. We do not 'hear Him now' just like that. It takes time - it takes learning - it takes living.

It takes getting to know in an incredibly intimate [wish I could come up with a more adequate word] way, the lover of your soul.

It takes learning how to live in that love - how to live loved. Learning how to live in the relationship and fellowship of pure unadulterated, unlimited, unquenchable, unremitting, unquestioned eternal love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It takes practicing His presence - to borrow a title from long ago.

If we want to hear His voice we can - if we will - we can.

If we will.

We can learn to live freely and fully in Him - and let Him live freely and fully in us - if we will.