BC

B.C.
This I remember and despair; His anger never ceases, His wrath never fails; it is kindled every morning.

A.D.

This I remember and therefore I have hope; the Lord's lovingkindness never ceases, His mercies never fail. They are new every morning.

O the riches of the wisdom and grace of God toward me!

Hi, my name is Tim...

We had a group of people form alcoholics anonymous come and speak to the class toay. Very interesting. It was difficult to hear them soeak about themselves in a self depricating way, "I am a drunk"...etc. They said they are an alcoholic today and they just need to get through today and take it a day at a time. They admit their alcohol problem is bigger than themselves and they never take it for granted.
Some interesting observations:
1) They never try to work their way our of reliance and into self-sufficiency.
2) They live every day knowing their weakness and wayward hearts, which keeps them close to their higher power
3) A supportive, honest and confessional communnity is essential, not peripheral, to their success.

I really respected this mindset. I wish we had this a a community of christians. How often I try to work my way out of dependency and burrow into self-reliance. Start with the Spirit, finish with the flesh.

I was wondering what it might look like to incorporate some of these ideas into d team.
Hmmmm....

Sign of the Times

The economic duress of the world has reached a devastating tipping point. No doubt, this global recession will usher in an astronomical rise of giant monsters with no one to shoot laser beams at them.

humility of Christ

I have been trying to understand the glory of Christ in His humbling himself. John Owen says it only comes with extended meditation, for which i need an extension. I have had a few thoughts that are meaningful to me. Considering the levels of humility Jesus submitted to. !) He emptied Himself and became a man; the difference between God and man is infinite. Jesus assumed our limitations. Imagine an eternal being submitting to boundaries, circadian rhythms, hunger pains, thirst, suffering and pain, bowel movements... 2) He not only became a man, but a servant of man; poor and homeless. The King came not a prince, but a pauper. 3) He laid down His life to death on a cross; an innocent man being hung as a criminal. This is truly the lowliest man that has ever lived.

Overarching all of these things is the humility of His willingness. His willingness is the most intriguing part. For a man might humble himself under the mighty hand of God to accept a circumstance He cannot control and rely on God given his human condition. But it is entirely another thing for Jesus to willingly submit himself to the limitations of man, the abuse of man, the death on a criminal's cross, when He had it completely within His power to prevent it all. This willingness seems almost foolish. It begs the question WHY?
Why will to do this?
"Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God" Heb 10:7 Because it was the will of God for Jesus to come in this form. Jesus obeyed the infinite will and wisdom of His Father. What Love He has for the Father? What desire to see Him glorified and the infinite worth of His name upheld!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only son" This is a mystery. Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we might be called the sons of God!

The humility of Christ to be a mediator for us. Willingly to the dregs. Oh, God, that I would understand more this incredible mystery.

freud was right

We were learning about freud's theory the other day. I don't think too many people still practice his psychoanalytic theory, but most people give him creedence just because he was one of the first to take a deeper look into the human conscious.
But as I was considering his theory, I discovered I really agree with the theory. It was all about different parts of the man and the conflict that exists inside them. Freud's theory is a perfect desription of fallen man without God. The Id is the craven fallen nature of man, pursuing his appetites which drives him into all his ambitions and pleasures. This is the remnant of the God-given desire to purue ultimate joy in God, but man chose to serve the reated thing rather than the Creator. Because man was made in the image of God, we have the moral law written on our hearts. We know right and do not do it. This corresponds to the Superego, in a way. Then there is the Ego, the plane of conscious existence we live on most days. It is the mixing pot of the perverted drives for pleasure meet the surrounding world, yet are kept in check by the conscience and the sense of shame that is God given when we wrap our arms around the waists forbidden things.
Some people think he did enough crack to kill a small horse. maybe he did, but I think he was spot on, though he probably didn't know it.

Glory of Christ as God's representative

Reading John Owen. God is invisible and completely holy and set apart form us. The Israelites saw him darkened as in a cloud. Although God declared His name to them, "The Lord, the Lord, the great and compassionate God, abounding in mercy and love and truth, forgiving sin and iniquity, yet just and holy to punish sin" they could not see what He was like until Jesus came to show us. Jesus is the only one who could represent God to us and the fact that He actually did despite our darkness and hatred of God - the way He actually did it by dying to show us God's love toward man - is awesome.
Jesus lived out God's name and description of himself. He showed us what it is like to forgive sins, to love the unlovable, what the truth is. He showed mercy to prostitutes and loved the feet of his disciples. He showed that sin will not god unpunished by his disjointed bones and flayed back.
Out of the darkness had shown a great light.

disease

We were just talking about a;coholism and how it is a disease. I was thinking that calling it a disease would negate accountability for actions. i asked my teacher and she said there is a dopamine malfunction with these people and they seem to be genetically predisposed to cravings and addictions. One is too much and 100 is not enough. initailly i was skeptical about calling alcoholism a disease, but it acts the same way. At one point there is no disease and they are healthy, then they have a precipitous cause, then this cause leads to a disease process or malfunction of normal physiology. Just like a kid with Lupus might have a viral infection which precipitates a systemic pathophysiology of the immune system.
Where does God fit into this? Is alcoholism - a treasuring and valuing of a lesser joy - really a disease which a person cannot help? Maybe our DNA is subject to futility just as our minds are darkened. Perhaps this is an example of God giving a person over to a depraved mind because he worships and serves the created being and not God. Whichever is the case, disease or not, Christ only can redeem from our choices and restore the years the locusts have eaten. Jesus is the answer, i am convinced, to the redemption of all our ills.