When Theology is too Small

  God is big. He created the universe and it keeps spinning because of His care. Nothing surprises Him because He knows all things. He is infinite. Before the world began He was and He will continue on after life as we know it ends.
  We as men are finite: the tiniest microbes in the space of the universe. So much is beyond our grasp, there are many things we cannot begin to understand. As humans, that can scare us; the fact that we cannot understand everything, the feeling we are finite, the knowledge we really and truly have no control. Though this world is not everlasting, there are things God has created that give us an idea of what infinite is like. Anyone who has climbed mountains or bobbed around in the ocean or stared up at a sky full of stars knows what it is like to feel small.
 We want to understand the things that are too big for us though. We explore the land and the sea and space. We study what we can about these things, and they just keep getting bigger. God is like that to an infinite degree. We can read the Bible and seek Him through prayer, but the more we learn about God, the less we know. Studying about God, studying theology, is a good thing; but it is  easy to get bogged down in trying to learn theological concepts and forget about God. In trying to learn about Him, we can forget to try and know Him, we lose sight of the fact that God is personal. As Christians He is to be our purpose and our passion, not theology.
  Many times, theology pushes us away from God instead of towards Him. Facts are small, they are easy. God is huge and we cannot begin to understand him. There is a lot of mystery around God. He too big for science and human intellect. We have to come humbly to Him with the faith of child, not with the brains of a professor.
  We as Christians are called to love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves. We have been given the commission to go into the world and make disciples for Christ. God did not tell us that Calvinism is the way, the truth and the life and no man may come to Him unless they believe in the five points. Christians are not called to bicker over theology (and there are times when I would say the word bicker is an understatement). Believers are called to love one another, regardless of our differences. Yes, we need to learn theology, but we also need to be invested in the gospel first. We cannot have theological squabbles at the cost of the truth.

a moment of unity.

 

 The fountain looked innocent, even pretty, from a distance. It was pretty as they neared it as well. So they sat by it and waited for their ride. Everyone sat at the waterside, wrapped in their own worlds of conversation, completely divorced from the lives of the people they were sitting next to. The sun shone on dappled water, music drifted from the open doors of the bars lining the riverside, a breeze teased their skin.
  Then a gust came and picked up some of the water spilling over the edge of the fountain, scattering droplets over its surprised neighbors. There was a unified intake of breath and everyone's eyes sought those of a fellow human being. After that assault by water, anyone with the breath of life in them became an ally. A few made comments about the water's spray to which those around them readily agreed. And then everyone abandoned those to whom they had turned to for support just moments before. The magic of that unity passed and everyone once again became strangers.

Blackberry Picking.

  A couple days ago I went blackberry picking with these brothers of mine. Aside from the thorns and poison ivy it was a lot of fun.

What I did this Week: The Klux and Loser addition

  To those of you who read this blog, I am not perfect and my life duly reflects that. This week has in some ways been one of the worst weeks I have booked so far. In other ways it has been one of the best, most revealing weeks of my life.

  So Sunday morning I flushed a tube of toothpaste down the toilet. I do not know anyone else who has that distinction. Yes it did get fished out, much thanks to my Dad.

  Then Tuesday morning this happened. I do not usually drive like this. It was just that one morning when I was in a hurry.

  Thursday I gave up and gave in. A couple weeks ago I finished Kyle Idleman's book Not A Fan. After a year of my attempt to become a designer of sorts, I realized that was a dream I was hanging onto at the cost my ability to whole-heartedly follow Christ. So I gave it up and for the rest of the year I am going to do ministry things. It is a funny thing, but after I gave my dream up, after I became a loser of sorts, I felt free.

  Friday I went to the beach, which is my favorite place in the world.

 

 

 This week I ran twenty miles. Though I am totally stoked about that, I also go a nasty blister that turned into a bruise. I am not posting a picture of it because it looks pretty bad to any who are squeamish of stomach.

 

 



And here's a song about being the loser. 



 

Well, until later.

Modest is not the Hottest

  At some point in her life, every Christian girl has probably been told "modest is the hottest" when she wore something that did not leave enough to the imagination. The phrase "Modest is the hottest" has I nice ring to it, I will admit. After all, it does rhyme, but it is not true.
  We as girls like to be beautiful, it is a integral part of our nature. But "hot" is not beautiful. "Hot" is an incredibly sexualized term to apply to a human being. It is unflattering, it is disgusting, it is objectifying, and it is not modest.
  There are two aspects to modesty. The first is the physical side, and is by far the easiest to address. It is a simple thing to make a list of what one can and cannot wear and then run with it. But modesty is a heart issue as well. There are plenty of girls who dress modestly and act immodestly. They are trying to be "hot". This attitude stems from the lust for attention, and like all lusts, it is incredibly destructive.
  Being modest is about respecting those around us in our dress and our actions. It is about honoring the image of God we bear by not exploiting it for our own selfish desires. It is not about being "hot". Anyone can do that. But when we as women are modest both in body and in spirit, we can truly be beautiful, and beauty will always outlive "hot".

What I did this week (And its actually this week!).

  So this week was not particularly eventful. I...

...enjoyed some great burgers on Memorial day.

Realized just how big the crawfish in our fish tank has gotten. 

Made some pretty good Panera-style mac and cheese.

Started playing classical music again.



 

Made homemade lasagna noodles. 

Then I made lasagna.

I did not do this, but my brothers caught a turtle and put him in the fish tank. 

He was so cute that I had to post a second picture. Sadly, we could not keep him but had to put him back in the canal where he belongs.

 

And that was my week.

more pictures.

  Here are some more pictures from my vacation earlier this month. These are from Santa Elena Canyon and Tuff Canyon.

 

 

This picture was taken from Santa Elena Canyon looking out at the Chihuahuan Desert. The river in the foreground is the Rio Grande. I think I could live in the desert. I also think my brothers considered leaving me there. 

 

 

Here is a picture looking into Santa Elena Canyon. The cliff wall on the left is Mexico and the one on the right is Texas.

 

 

 Another of Santa Elena Canyon.

 

 

Here are my brothers climbing rocks in the canyon.

 

 

The next two pictures are from Tuff Canyon. Tuff, the rock which the Canyon walls are made of, consists of compressed volcanic ash. Whenever it rains, the tuff erodes and the canyon washes out into new shapes.

 

 

This is a picture of Casa Grande viewed through the window from the Chihuahuan Desert. Of all the pictures I took on the trip, this one is my pride and joy.

And that is all for now.