romans 3:23
Most often we see ourselves as originating where (or as being who) we want to be, not, where we are found.
We are found, in the very worst of places, we are found, alone, destitute, hungry for things we should not be hungry for. Longing, for things we should have long forgotten, feeding things which should have been starved, sustaining that which does not bring life.
Here we are found, amidst the pain of our greatest weakness, it could be said, we are found, each of us individually, in the place of our indigenousness human-kind-ness, amidst the anguish of our personal depravity, the soul wrenching indignation of our lostness. Here, we are found.
And, we are found by our good saviour to be worthy of finding, in this most wretched state. We are found worthy, because we are his creation, his subsequent Joy, his best chance and getting his story out, his future glory - at our redemption.
In this mire, oddly, our future character is best formed where it is found. While our tendency is kindled to forget where we are found, this leads to a new -religious- ruin. Our best hope is not to forget but to live as if where we originate from, a fool forgets, the wise spring new life from that which has died, never forgetting this has created nourishing soil.
We are found, not because we are other than indigenous to our depravity, but because we are indigenous to his creation, because it all begins, and all ends with HIM
Slv2all
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Friday, 31 July 2009
Wasted
I guess I am the type of guy who hates wasting.
I wasted today, and yesterday, and the day before.
Wasted.
What did I waste? Resources, that 'could' have been useful to someone else, at least that is what my head kept telling me, that out there somewhere there was someone who could have benefited from what I was tossing in the trash. The thought did not just occur to me when the fifth dump truck load left, its was there, and has been there for some time through all five loads.
I'm not sure I get it. I'm not sure I'm even right on this one, I just know it bugged me and still does. There was plenty of time, to bring others into the building (which needed to be clean by today) and see if they might be interested in a few items, but I never did that, and the easiest thing to do in these last days was toss, toss, toss.
I'm not sure my heart is settled on it, and when my daughter was reading 1 John tonight I think that is where it gripped me the most:
1 John 3:16-20 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
I guess, all that to say, my heart is condemning me, and I'm not sure what to do about it.
served my self today
slv2all
I wasted today, and yesterday, and the day before.
Wasted.
What did I waste? Resources, that 'could' have been useful to someone else, at least that is what my head kept telling me, that out there somewhere there was someone who could have benefited from what I was tossing in the trash. The thought did not just occur to me when the fifth dump truck load left, its was there, and has been there for some time through all five loads.
I'm not sure I get it. I'm not sure I'm even right on this one, I just know it bugged me and still does. There was plenty of time, to bring others into the building (which needed to be clean by today) and see if they might be interested in a few items, but I never did that, and the easiest thing to do in these last days was toss, toss, toss.
I'm not sure my heart is settled on it, and when my daughter was reading 1 John tonight I think that is where it gripped me the most:
1 John 3:16-20 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
I guess, all that to say, my heart is condemning me, and I'm not sure what to do about it.
served my self today
slv2all
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Respect
At a recent belt testing for TaeKwonDo I was asked a question by Master Rim, I did not (in my opinion) give an adequate response.
What is the Meaning of Respect?
I have come to understand after much personal (internal) deliberation that respect, is a matter of the soul. It's not that it can be, it is. True respect always holds in conflict the true nature and tendencies of our true self verses our presenting self. I can bow, or do other respectful things, these are outward signs, whether they are a true reflection of an inward reality is quite a different thing. While deliberating this writing, I came up with several examples of this, I am sure you can come up with your own.
This is one:
Opening a door for a woman, is a sign of respect - and we could leave it at that. But doing this in a truly respectful manner, is quite another thing. First, Why am I opening the door? So that others may see what I am doing, so that I may seem like a good person, or so that I may look at the woman? Am I try to get something for myself, or am I truly showing respect? If I try while opening the door to look at the women - a particular feature, this complicates the matter of respect entirely! I am disrespecting the woman, my wife, my belief system, all that I stand for, I am outwardly showing respect and yet inwardly I have none for anyone, including myself.
True respect is simple - and is best kept simple.
Say what you mean, mean what you say
Do what comes from your heart, if what comes from your heart is pure
Deny yourself, if yourself is leading you to ruin.
slv2all
What is the Meaning of Respect?
I have come to understand after much personal (internal) deliberation that respect, is a matter of the soul. It's not that it can be, it is. True respect always holds in conflict the true nature and tendencies of our true self verses our presenting self. I can bow, or do other respectful things, these are outward signs, whether they are a true reflection of an inward reality is quite a different thing. While deliberating this writing, I came up with several examples of this, I am sure you can come up with your own.
This is one:
Opening a door for a woman, is a sign of respect - and we could leave it at that. But doing this in a truly respectful manner, is quite another thing. First, Why am I opening the door? So that others may see what I am doing, so that I may seem like a good person, or so that I may look at the woman? Am I try to get something for myself, or am I truly showing respect? If I try while opening the door to look at the women - a particular feature, this complicates the matter of respect entirely! I am disrespecting the woman, my wife, my belief system, all that I stand for, I am outwardly showing respect and yet inwardly I have none for anyone, including myself.
True respect is simple - and is best kept simple.
Say what you mean, mean what you say
Do what comes from your heart, if what comes from your heart is pure
Deny yourself, if yourself is leading you to ruin.
slv2all
Saturday, 14 February 2009
Made to be....
Men and Women - this one may get me in trouble
At times they are so different we wonder what God could possibly be thinking when he created this mess.
Let us ask a question - Who is the natural lover in a man woman marriage relationship?
then
Let us ask another question - Who is the natural submitter in a woman man marriage relationship?
My dad asked me these questions once as a part of his "read your own verses" talk
The first question is an obvious question is actually quite normal. We have all heard it before, we have all been witness to a man - not loving a woman enough yada yada yada.
Here is the difference. God made us this way, on purpose. See, a man is naturally submissive. What????? Women disagree with this all the time, but this is because women try to obligate their men to do things - they don't - and thus they think this statement is wrong. But hold on here, there is this little thing called world history that actually proves this. I'm not going to spend much time proving women are natural lovers but this one needs some attention. Just think back to, oh, I don't know, the Vietnam war - or any other war for that matter. One man says to a group of men (mostly, yes I know women serve in the armed forces...just let me go here) and although in some times the men are even told "we expect a 50% casualty rating on this mission" they march out and take the hill. They climb and they crawl over their dead comrades, and, they take the hill - because someone in authority told them to.
Go to the work place, put a CEO in a room with two of his managers and when he says"We are going to sell widgets to Denmark" the man will get up and go and figure out how to get this task done, the woman will question. Now don't get me wrong, the woman questions, because she needs to know all the details, she needs to understand how the CEO derived his position - and once she knows that - with reckless abandon (love?) she will go after the same task - and a lot of the time even out preform the man.
Then God says - through the apostle Paul. "Husbands love your wives... wives submit to your husbands"
Huh?
What the heck - this, is counterintuitive.
Yep.
And it is the cornerstone of a dynamic union.
Let us ask two more questions:
Who is the perfect person in this man woman union - to understand true love?
Who is the perfect person in this woman man union - to understand true submission?
We are, in effect, our own subject matter experts on our mates God ordained duties in marriage. She will know when you are faking love, because she is the natural lover. He will know when you are begrudgingly 'submissive' because he is the natural submitter.
How do we get it right?
Well first step might be as per my dad's advice "Son, read your own verses."
The step beyond is to talk with your mate, discover what is truly meaningful to each other then with reckless abandon give a gift to your spouse they will truly recognize as authentic.
slv2all
At times they are so different we wonder what God could possibly be thinking when he created this mess.
Let us ask a question - Who is the natural lover in a man woman marriage relationship?
then
Let us ask another question - Who is the natural submitter in a woman man marriage relationship?
My dad asked me these questions once as a part of his "read your own verses" talk
The first question is an obvious question is actually quite normal. We have all heard it before, we have all been witness to a man - not loving a woman enough yada yada yada.
Here is the difference. God made us this way, on purpose. See, a man is naturally submissive. What????? Women disagree with this all the time, but this is because women try to obligate their men to do things - they don't - and thus they think this statement is wrong. But hold on here, there is this little thing called world history that actually proves this. I'm not going to spend much time proving women are natural lovers but this one needs some attention. Just think back to, oh, I don't know, the Vietnam war - or any other war for that matter. One man says to a group of men (mostly, yes I know women serve in the armed forces...just let me go here) and although in some times the men are even told "we expect a 50% casualty rating on this mission" they march out and take the hill. They climb and they crawl over their dead comrades, and, they take the hill - because someone in authority told them to.
Go to the work place, put a CEO in a room with two of his managers and when he says"We are going to sell widgets to Denmark" the man will get up and go and figure out how to get this task done, the woman will question. Now don't get me wrong, the woman questions, because she needs to know all the details, she needs to understand how the CEO derived his position - and once she knows that - with reckless abandon (love?) she will go after the same task - and a lot of the time even out preform the man.
Then God says - through the apostle Paul. "Husbands love your wives... wives submit to your husbands"
Huh?
What the heck - this, is counterintuitive.
Yep.
And it is the cornerstone of a dynamic union.
Let us ask two more questions:
Who is the perfect person in this man woman union - to understand true love?
Who is the perfect person in this woman man union - to understand true submission?
We are, in effect, our own subject matter experts on our mates God ordained duties in marriage. She will know when you are faking love, because she is the natural lover. He will know when you are begrudgingly 'submissive' because he is the natural submitter.
How do we get it right?
Well first step might be as per my dad's advice "Son, read your own verses."
The step beyond is to talk with your mate, discover what is truly meaningful to each other then with reckless abandon give a gift to your spouse they will truly recognize as authentic.
slv2all
Saturday, 10 January 2009
John Piper - a man worth following
John is a great Gospel guy - follow him read his stuff watch his stuff
slv2all
slv2all
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
"Becoming Pariah"
Becoming Pariah 1Cor4:13b
Few set a goal of becoming despised; Paul wore it as a badge of honor. For him it was a matter of who despised him, he came to the point of being outcast by those most would seek to be acknowledged by. He placated the needy those without voice in the public forum and from a worldly standpoint it got him nowhere. If he rode in a chariot he rode it in shackles if he traveled to Rome it was under guard. Would you rather die and have a state funeral a parade and fan fare? Or would you choose to die naked and, from an earthly perspective, alone, with your friends and family to afraid to retrieve your body for proper burial? Will you honour the empty words of those who use their faith for political gain? Or, to your own demise, will you lay challenge and resolute discourse before those in authority? Shed all notions of worldly allure, the cold water given is due to your Christocentric discipleship, one that can not be shared, you are his disciple, or you are not.
Few set a goal of becoming despised; Paul wore it as a badge of honor. For him it was a matter of who despised him, he came to the point of being outcast by those most would seek to be acknowledged by. He placated the needy those without voice in the public forum and from a worldly standpoint it got him nowhere. If he rode in a chariot he rode it in shackles if he traveled to Rome it was under guard. Would you rather die and have a state funeral a parade and fan fare? Or would you choose to die naked and, from an earthly perspective, alone, with your friends and family to afraid to retrieve your body for proper burial? Will you honour the empty words of those who use their faith for political gain? Or, to your own demise, will you lay challenge and resolute discourse before those in authority? Shed all notions of worldly allure, the cold water given is due to your Christocentric discipleship, one that can not be shared, you are his disciple, or you are not.
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