Throw it and it Will stick, hmmmm????

I heard recently that a person was going to throw theology at their youth until they get the concept of Jesus is and how to explain their point if asked by others. I have two issues with such a statement,

1) Did Jesus ever throw huge theological points at those that are beginning to understand truth? I think not, He called for behaviors to change, as they would grow their level of understanding who God is would as well.

2) Throw ideas and concepts at people without being relational, meaning understanding the level of maturity of those who we teach is like throw heavy wet mud at a brick wall. Most of it will stick, but in a short time period it will assuredly start to break apart and have no firm foundation to keep it to the structure.

So then how can we as youth ministers teach theology and keep it relational, an age old question that sends many into heat debates to settling for complacent teaching. I believe one must know who his audience is and taking an approach that will best communicate God's truth that will allow God's grace to grow within. If we do not humble our methods for the grace of the Spirit's ever changing in young men and women, all we will have spit-fire believer's. (spit-fire - believer's that have knowledge that can only spit what head knowledge they know, they have no clue who Christ is at a intimate knowing). If we are not concern for what Christ was concern for, which is a lifestyle change or better termed... a change of behavior. I was reminded today that most of the New Testament primarily speaks to putting off old behaviors and putting on new behaviors of Christ. Think about it, the Gospels to Revelation is about changing our mindset to that of Christ's, because if we do not change our behavior our words will not mean diddly squat.

Two verses come to mind Romans 12:1-2, Colossi ans 3:1-14. Passages to meditate upon if we want theology to stick withing our young men and women's minds, challenge them to put off and put on Christ, and the understanding and the study of God will become more of a passion for them to discover.

Moments are a precious commodity these days, I suppose if you in a metropolitan region. Where life moves at the speed of light. Why talk about moments, because we all have them they are either great moments in time or horrible ones. Several thoughts arise from idea of a moment, what is a moment? How does it work? Are they frozen in time or space? Are they non-existent anymore except from the moments that are etched into our brain? The limit of questions is limitless in regards to moments. But why is this so? Why are we humans so enthralled with living within the moment, capturing the moment or trying to relive a moment that has passed?

To be honest I only understand time in the manner of the time I am in now, right here typing this blog, the time that was at the beginning of this blog is now gone, but I am still typing. This is a surreal thought for time keeps moving, but our mind can pull up a data base of fragment pieces of time and replay them so we are not lost in the present moment. Boy this sounds cumbersome to think in such a way.

I believe that God is the originator of time and the existence of moments. But wants astounds me more is that how can truly our minds capture a moment in time, process it, evaluate it, store it in a proper context (hopefully) and recall it like a motion picture. For me to explain this better is like how old fashion cartoons were drawn, and still are to this day. Well the t.v. motion cartoons, where they would draw frame by frame to give an illusion of time elapsing with what was drawn. Cause if you were to see each individual frame set next to each other and seen in order you could possibly see how the characters and scenery moves. But once they are layered on top of each other then moved in a rapid order you then see those frames become a fluid action like that of real time. Please forgive me if I have not represented this art form well, it is how I understand as of today.

If moments go by, and are lost at times, but within our mind we can recover them does time truly keep moving without stopping? Or is it that we are living within finite world that the realm of progressing within time and digressing time is not available in our current state. If this has perplexed you, good it should. The only rational explanation for this occurrences is that there is a high force that has limited our need of time. This entity has placed moments to stop or start over again for a reason beyond our human supreme understanding. Once again God the creator of substance created a world where time has limits so that His creation would see His great power and see Him as worthy of high praise for creating such a plane of moments that are captured within the human mind, but never again able to be relived in that particular moment. How great is the God of this universe.

There might be another way of understanding the issue of time and why it is limited to moments that once were and another has taken its place, right now this how I understand it.

What are you going to do?

Imagine that you were at the edge of of cliff called life. There are obvious four distinct areas you notice as you stand at this edge. Your body is tense in anticipation, your mind is throbbing, your heart is about to explode due to the amount of stress you are feeling. You try to contemplate why and how you have gotten here.

But that does not seem as pressing as wondering why below you is a eternal fall off from the cliff into a black abyss. Viewing such a sight sends shivers from your hairs ends to the tips of your extremities. You know whatever is far down there is a place of pain, torment, suffering, and unrest.

Then you notice that in front of you is a picture of something that has a translucent appearance, this picture baffles you cause you think it is another cliff not to far away. But then you think it might just be the open sky just a bit murky, but whatever you think it is you wish the picture would become clear with such clarity that will tell you which way you ought to take at this place of decision.

At the moment that you start to sense a bit of clarity of the distance of uncertainty you feel with certainty what lies behind you. You peer back and see that its your past of joys, hurts, laughs, tears, anger, envy, people you hate - you love, and even a sense of familiarity. Your past is calling come back to your life of strife, but of what is known to you. For here you can reason within your known knowledge and live as you know currently without risk of losing life.

The vast sky that is deepen with a rich color that is indescribable and that contains a bright light that does not scorch your skin, but gives warmth and rejuvenation to your soul. You look upwards to try to attain insight of where this overwhelming sensation is coming from. As you peer all you see is a bright sun that is restoring your faith, your joy, and your love. You are perplexed at this experience it is nothing you have ever experienced. You are wondering how can one continue to have this experience every second, every minute, every hour and day.

You realize with all of these four situations presented to you, there is a question being ask: What are you going to do? End this life by diving into a life suffering abyss, stay in a place of certainty. Or begin to trust a experience that brings life into focus in restoring the soul so you can take a step into the unknown and see that unclear picture come into focus. What a point on a cliff to ponder such thoughts, but still "What are you going to do?"

What are you going to do?

What are you going to do?

Thoughts of Transititon

I must admit my last post was a bit emo, but it was where my heart was for the past months. I will state that this God just does not allow us to stay at one place to long, at least this my experience. This past Sunday is one of those moments, the message was on our true identity that comes from God.

The point that stood the most to me was that the only image we ought to be concern with is becoming the image of the creator, for it is His image we are design to be like. Though I am still perplex why is so hard to be in His image? I understand for a theological standpoint that sin plays a major role in our defiance of being in His image. Question... if we are a new creation in His son, why do many of us struggle with living as this new creation?

Most God-fearing people read the bible, pray, serve and worship with what they got to give the Lord of Hosts, but still fight desperately to not be the old man. Is it simple so we can fully understand his grace? Or is it much simpler than that. Meaning does God just want us to set our mind each and every day to live in His image. To write this is sounds so simple, but the sense of the old man still lurks within my mind, how does one eradicated it? Maybe for many of us that deal with this it is our thorn in our flesh.

I know I am going to make each day a day that I consciencely choose to become more like Christ so that I am not consumed with how I could be from a past of destruction. I must admit it is odd for a person that has been educated in theology and been a believer for over 15 yrs, to admit this struggle, but I assume that I am not the only one that is a minister that struggles with this, and beyond that most laypersons as well. I pray that God speaks to your heart and restores within you a spirit of strength not timidity.

I am alive in Christ Jesus our Lord!!!!

Is there One Image or is There Two?

Image is everything for all people; this statement might be ambiguous due to the nature of the repetition of this topic. The truth is that humanity as a whole seeks to find it image in various ways from the western ideal of the "pursuit of happiness" to understanding ones role with a tribal community in Papa New Guinea. Image is what humanity uses to explain its place in this vast world of diverse cultures. The question is why comment on the idea of image, reason being I was reading about the Colossae Church and came upon this quote, "we share in Christ's image, when we belong to Him." (Paul & His letters, Polhill, p. 341) This statement for Christians that follow after His teachings this is a very true statement. Believers are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to become imitators of Christ (Eph. 4:1). Likewise John wrote his 3^rd letter, 3:11, states that believers out to chose to imitate good rather than evil, for those that claim to be followers of God and do evil do not know or see Him.

In not dragging out this idea image here is an example: if a person that portrays themselves as an athlete, the person dresses in cut off shirts, sport shorts, cross training shoes, and looks like the just workout or going too eventually. But that is just a look or better said an appearance of an athlete, but the testing of the validity of this identity is in knowing the persons actions. Actions are the tell tale sign of if a person is truly what they appear to be. With that said, is being an athlete the person's true image or identity? How does a person determine their image? It can be said that an athlete can find identity in being an athlete, if this is the only identity they find. Most of the time there is a duality to their image, there is the athlete and there is the essence of the person: i.e. - personality, character, intelligence and etc. There appears to more than just one identity in one person if we are to compartmentalize all these aspects. How then can a person be of one image/identity and still be a whole person?

This line of thinking started with the above quote of sharing in Christ's image. What struck me about this statement when I broke it down is there might be two images that humanity has been given. First, in Genesis 1:26 God said, "let's make man in our image" so man was made in the image of God. Second, is for believers that have surrender their life unto Christ as He becomes Lord, they assume the image or identity of Christ. Can this image of God be the same of the identity of Christ? The answer is yes to those that are living sacrifices unto Jesus. Another question arises, is there any distinction between a generic image of God to an image in Christ Jesus? I believe there is a difference, but the same God that allows the rain to fall upon the just and the unjust. When God created man was perfect and bares the perfect of image of God. Then man fell and lost that perfect image of God, so in essence humanity carries partial of the image of God, but the image is deficient due to the sin nature of mankind. Therefore, when a person is called into repentance and receives forgiveness of their sins, the once broken, the once partial image/identity is being made whole again and will be perfected the day all followers of Christ are united with their Lord and King.