Embrace The Suck

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Unity, Diversity, and Purpose

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require.

But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 1 Corinthians 12:14-20

The diversity within the Church does not mean that there should be diversity in purpose or mindset. In any organization, diversity of gifts and unity in purpose is the foundation. We often hear "diversity!", but without knowing the why or what behind it, diversity is simply to inane or benign a term. It carries no weight wothout function or purpose.

What is the purpose of diversity? By itself, nothing! Diversity of gifts, talents, ideas within a shared purpose is fantastic. Without knowing the why, diversity is just another word wothout content.

Room Preparation and The Heart of God

One of the redeeming qualities of Cory is her abiding desire to meet the deepest needs of our sons. That quality has been accentuated these days as the sons return home from college. Their rooms have been cleaned, beds made, pictures re-hung, gifts left, and organized as if the sons had just begun 2nd grade.

The simple beauty in this is the care she has taken to welcome them home. There is no doubt their small rooms turn into a haven for them. A place distinctly their own, stamped with things all their own, fashioned by someone who knows them better and deeper than themselves.

Sound familiar?

Jesus told his disciples he was going away to prepare a place for them. A place when they arrived would instantly crystallize everything they wondered about themselves. A place which would confirm the depth of love the Father had for them. A place which would cause wonder and amazement because they realized the Father knew more about them, cared more deeply for them, and understood the desires of their heart better than themselves.

I picture these two rooms prepared for our sons in the same way. These rooms were prepared with each son in mind, ahead of time, and these rooms were filled with items awaiting their attention and presence. Most of all, these rooms were prepared for them to feel at home. Just for them.

Home. Haven. Harbor.

What do these words evoke in you?

To me, they remind me of my longings to be at home, to be with those whom I love most dearly, to be at rest, to be at peace. They also remind me when preparation is made for a homecoming, the preparer goes to the greatest lengths to ensure the homecoming is sweet. Can you picture the Father saying to the angels, "Oh, he's going to love this!" or "Can you imagine her surprise when she sees this?".

Just for You. 

If we do that here, how much more has God done more than that in Heaven?

Most people get excited about mansions and what it would be like to live in one. I know I think of what I would have in mine if I had one. What little perks and toys would I have? How would we personalize a mansion, if we had one?

Have you thought about what your room will look like when you arrive? It's going to be filled with items you never knew your heart wanted, yet needed.

The personal aspect of this cannot be overlooked. Jesus isn't going away to prepare some general assembly hall where everyone can gather to hang out and catch up on old times. He's going to prepare a place...for you...forever.

Meditate on that today. What love the Father has bestowed on us! What great care and concern. What joy could fill our hearts knowing what He has prepared for us by his hands.

In John 14:2-3 Jesus tells us all about the Father's preparation for his people. In Isaiah 6:1-6 about the awe and wonder of God. Finally, in Revelation 21:4-8 we read about the hope Heaven brings to our hearts.

A hope we find somewhat fulfilled when our rooms are neat and clean, beds made, and a gift left by someone who knows us better than we know ourselves.

Thanks Momma, for loving our boys in such a way it reflects the Father's heart!

On Heaven

Tirian had thought—or he would have thought if he had time to think at all—that they were inside a little thatched stable, about twelve feet long and six feet wide. In reality they stood on grass, the deep blue sky was overhead, and the air which blew gently on their faces was that of a day in early summer. Not far away from them rose a grove of trees, thickly leaved, but under every leaf there peeped out the gold or faint yellow or purple or glowing red of fruits such as no one has seen in our world. The fruit made Tirian feel that it must be autumn but there was something in the feel of the air that told him it could not be later than June. They all moved towards the trees.

Everyone raised his hand to pick the fruit he best liked the look of, and then everyone paused for a second. This fruit was so beautiful that each felt “It can’t be meant for me . . . surely we’re not allowed to pluck it.”

“It’s all right,” said Peter. “I know what we’re all thinking. But I’m sure, quite sure, we needn’t. I’ve a feeling we’ve got to the country where everything is allowed.”

“Here goes, then!” said Eustace. And they all began to eat.

What was the fruit like? Unfortunately no one can describe a taste. All I can say is that, compared with those fruits, the freshest grapefruit you’ve ever eaten was dull, and the juiciest orange was dry, and the most melting pear was hard and woody, and the sweetest wild strawberry was sour. And there were no seeds or stones, and no wasps. If you had once eaten that fruit, all the nicest things in this world would taste like medicines after it. But I can’t describe it. You can’t find out what it is like unless you can get to that country and taste it for yourself.

From The Last Battle

Ravi on Materialism

Ravi Zacharias 

Three types of pride:
1. The pride of power: That which seeks autonomy in its absolute sense. 

2. The pride of knowledge: That which thinks it knows and does not need to be added unto. 

3. The pride of virtue: That which thinks it is so good that it does not need forgiveness or any imputed righteousness.

Any resistance to God can be manifest in one of those three areas. 

The same men who devised and built the concentration camps also listened to the music of Wagner. 

If man is the measure of all things, which Man?

Stalin and the example of the chicken

What is it about materialism that is attractive? The logical working out of materialism leads to the atrocities we have seen in Germany, Cambodia from John Paul Sartre. 

Man shall not live by bread alone up from every word that comes from the mouth of God. We are more than a stomach that needs to be filled. 

Jesus forgives sins first before healing people of their physical ailments because the spiritual takes precedence over the physical

Jesus & Nietzsche

Nietzsche vs Jesus - Dallas Willard

Philosophers are supposed to go down deeper, stay down longer, and come up drier than anyone else.

Thoughts on truth and freedom.

Nietzsche
It was not a driving force in his culture, nor is he a driving force in culture today rather he was symbolic of something much deeper.

It was more a reaction of art and intellect against what was loosely Christian culture.

It came to a head in England with the 39 articles of the Anglican Church. Nietzsche looked at the irrelevance of what was being said and taught versus what was actually being lived. He revolted against a system of hypocrisy.

In this period, knowledge was divorced more and more from theology and God.

That was a bit shocking, because theology was often called the queen of the sciences.

Descartes said you can't know anything until until you know God.

"Constructionism" The world as we know it is a construction of the mind, language.

We classify and structure things in order to understand our purpose which Nietzsche saw as oppressive.

If we lose the capacity to understand reality then what is to determine it?

From the genealogy of morals – essay 3
"In every animal, Including the philosophical beast, strives instinctively for the optimum condition for which it might release its power. Every animal instinctively, and with a subtle flare, leaves reason far behind, abhors all interference that might conceivably Block its path to this optimum. (The path I am speaking up does not lead to happiness, but to power)"

This is what Nietzsche referred to as the "will to power". In other words, it was a way to construct power, A world suited to use our power for ourselves. Self aggrandizement

Commercials sell self worth. Focus is almost exclusively on the self.

The Will turns back on itself. In Curvatis En Se

The burden for human life is to find an adequate basis for human action in knowledge.

We are in a culture where it's important to know the right answers but not necessary to believe them.

The heart of the issue between Jesus and Nietzsche is truth and it's relation to human well-being and fulfillment.
"Thou shall not steal" - what does that have to do with human freedom?

We desire to desire. We want freedom "from"...

The core of democracy is choice and not the thing chosen.

The first step in freedom is submitting oneself to reality. And to do that you need the truth - truth guides us into reality. Reality is what you run into when you're wrong.

You need more than truth for freedom- you need community. We need to bond.
A child needs to,step into life that is already "going". Truth is needed to help trust.

Has anyone ever been happy living as Nietzsche posited? The will, fulfilling their own will?

Objectivity is the path to freedom, not subjectivity. Nobody makes a belief true by believing it.

If you love God you will be happy, but you can't love God by loving happiness.
Hedonic paradox: if you want to be miserable, try to happy. Fulfillment and happiness is a byproduct.

The will directed at self will die because it does not nourish itself on what is beyond it.

The test is ALWAYS putting it into practice. It's hard to see Christianity lived out in our culture. I'm not going to stop eating breakfast because Buddhists eat it.

What would our culture look like if we submitted ourselves to God?

The kingdom of God is not about food and drink. When it becomes about that- legalism- we must say "stop!" Ultimate freedom isn't selfish but it is exercised within the context of community. God communes with man, heaven will be communal.

We won't be sitting in our room writing poetry and thinking deep thoughts. We will be enjoying the kingdom aspect of community, first with God, and then with his people.

The Place Which Is Called Calvary

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