Hello.

I thought it was a good idea to insert an idea here for it has been a while since I have last written. This isn't much but hopefully something to ponder on.

"Israel is a lush vine; it yields fruit for itself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better they made the sacred pillars." - Hosea 10:1

I understand how this can seem a little esoteric to most people in that there is talk of Israel being a vine building pillars and the whatnot. As a side note, has anyone ever thought it strange that esoteric is often an esoteric word (if you don't know what I am talking about then my point is proven)? Anyway, what the verse basically says is that Israel (referring the the northern kingdom) is rich; they have money and prosperity coming out the yin-yang. Not only are they wealthy but also self-sufficient. Indeed, this is beginning to sound familiar isn't it? No one can deny that we, as Americans, live in a very prosperous and wealthy (overall) nation. Even our poor have it much better off than the poor in most other nations. I was reading an article in Christianity Today about how thw writer learned about prayer from homeless people. He spend much of the short article talking about hao the homeless he spoke to prayed with such a crushing reality that it blew him away, even seemed foreign to him. When they prayed, they were really living off those prayers that they gave. How this relates to the verse of scripture is the fact that in Israel's prosperity they started building pagan gods and sites of superstition. Intheir prosperity they saw that they didn't need God personally or as a nation; He was featurette amongst their growing pantheon of false gods. It was only when Israel was threatened with destruction did they start even talking about turning to God fully. I can't say enough how we Americans face this danger in our own context of being prosperous and safe. Indeed, the idols are already being built in Christian circles in that we are all too often concerned with a god who will make us feel better and give us what we want for the time being. This tangant I'm sure has been beate to death but I can't stress enough the danger of the place we are in spiritually as a nation. I pray for myself that I would pray like one who is poor--a person who comes to God with a broken heart and the joy that is felt flows directly from His heart to mine. One must wonder why Jesus said that the poor are ones who are blessed. I guess I like to fancy the thought that it is because they taste our depravity with that extra kick of salt. To them, human depravity has kicked them in the face while with some others it is sugar-coated and put on T.V. I am probably a little hard to follow at the moment but this is something I am struggling with and exort you all to dash your idols that are a result of you feeling that you don't need God. May we be made poor in our spirits so our threasure may be His heart. Amen.

Your friend,

Cody

The Will of God

I have been thinking on the the subject of what in the heck is God's will (hence the title). This seems quite a ridiculous thing to think about I am sure for one can easily answer that God's will is mysterious and no one will ever know it. That point is taken. But, I decided to take on the roll of the token philosopher (of which I am not that good though I have long hair, glasses and say big words. Yea for me.) and pontificate (see!) on what in fact is the will of God. I used to say to myself that His will was different for every person--it is specific and we must find it out soon so we may give a great testimony at youth camp or something like that. If one was to discover this specific will then then one is set, for this will revealed all of the mysteries of life-- what "ministry" you were called to serve, the identity of your future spouse, what college you are to attend, and, for those lucky few, the exact date of the apocalypse without missing, of course, the precise identity of the anti-Christ! Indeed, modern discoursing over the will of God has turned rather silly and modern Christians are left seemingly running around like a bunch of neurotics hopped up on Christian coffee-house caramel espresso wondering if they are "living out God's will." We have endless publications giving steps and steps on how this is to be discovered. On the other end there are the more contemporary publications written by pastors with cool hair and gotees who completely abandon steps all together in order to seem like they are breaking new ground. But, sadly, the writing is just laid out steps except they don't name the chapters after those steps. I am no better than they are though. Here I am trying to think myself over them as if I have all the answers, yet I am left just as dumbfounded and trying to think up steps like the rest (all the while, hoping and praying that Rick Warren will write a book on this soon).

It wasn't until I consulted the scriptures (imagine that!) that those pages began to shed some light on the issue. Please, I beg of you, correct me if I am wrong. I am growing in this just like everyone and hope to communicate accirately, but if that's not the case then please point me in the right direction. Anyway, Colossians 1:9-14 is the passage to which I read that made me think of something rather scandalous about what the will of God is. Specifically, in verses 9b-12 Paul lays out very clear, "We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will (speaking to the church at Colossae) in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joygiving thanks to the Father..." At the beginning of the passage I was brought to the edge of my seat for I thought, "here it comes! The will of God explained!" But I was left hanging like a hopeless romantic an hour before prom. Paul never explained what the will of God was, he only asked that the Colossians would be filled with the knowledge of it. Though this may be, Paul does have that phrase "so that" indicating that the purpose or result of the knowing God's will brings out the following: 1) walking worthy of the Lord 2) bearing fruit in every good work 3) growing in the knowledge of God 4) being stengthened with all endurance and patience [perseverence in the faith] 5) giving joyful thanks to the Father. It seems to me that the will of God is as simple as quietly walking with Him taking part in all the above; it's like a cycle, knowing God's will with have one act it out and then know it even more. There are no flashy revelations or anything like that, but rather the exhorting of the church to, in the words of Micah, walk humbly with their God in daily life. I am rather convinced at the moment that the will of God is found in the humble, patient, loving, and everyday walk with Him. Think of it like a father leading the child along a journey and the father is walking backwards with his hands out beckoning the child to keep following. As the child follows along the journey, the father will occassionally step one leg back revealing what has been developing behind him the whole time. The child was rather ignorant of it the whole time for his eyes were only on the father beckoning and leading him along the journey. The revelation of God's will happens in the context of a quiet life lived with Him doing what's pleasing to Him in everyday life. This is so because it is God who must be the focus and not anything else, not even His will. I say this because if God is the center of all there is in our lives then His will comes naturally as our hearts learn to beat along with His.

DISCLAIMER: I am speaking in a lot of absolutes here and therefore, am left vulnerable to a lot of misunderstanding. I would beg anyone to understand that I am not saying that this is how God works and that is it--I dare not box Him in. The only thing I am trying to say is that maybe we, as Christians, need to strip the periferal stuff away and put Christ on His throne at the center of everything. Indeed, the strangest of of things can become viscious idols.

Currently Listening It's Time By Michael Bublé see related

Hello.

I understand the inherent arrogence of posting up my thoughts as if they are meaningful, lifechanging, or anything of the like. To be quite honest, I am a little uncomfortable with it. Nevertheless, I feel it's proper to share my burdens, thoughts, joy and tears with you and I hope that in that we can grow together. I really have nothing new to say that will make you look at the world differently or see clearly like you never have before though I secretly do want to be that for some people. The only thing I hope is that in my writings I do not draw too much on myself but hopefully lift up Christ who's love is evermore carrying me from the wastelands that I too often run in haste to. This love is great but nevertheless a mystery still; I really don't get it. Indeed, this whole Christian life is the strangest of romances that I find myself caught in the pages of; it's quite a ride. Well, this is the beginning and hopefully whatever nonsense I have to say can somehow be used to to share Christ in a new light for you. May He always be lifted up and may His loving arms be your home in this world that can feel so alien. Blessings to you.

Your Friend,     

Cody (Philippians 2:5-11)