I wish I was a better communicator

I wish I was a better communicator. I wish it was easier for me to relate to people, to meet people, to have meaningful conversations, to love them in a tangable way. I have come to realize that every soul on this planet is a human being just like myself. I think it is so easy to miss that. That other people are just like you. No matter who they are they all have life experiences, joys, things that they like to do, goal, questions, fears, guilt, loves, relationships, etc. I want to meet people at that level. At a human level. We are human beings because we all have these unique charateristics as well as the ability to share them. I think in the letter to the Romans, Paul touches on this idea. He calls us to "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another" (Romans 12:15-16 ESV). What if I could do that? I could share life with other human beings. The human life is a constant stream of joys and sorrows and we as people created in the image of God have the ability to share in others joys and sorrows. I have been asking God lately that he could give me tears. I want to weep for sin. I want to weep with those who are hurting. There are so many people in my life that I want to connect with on this level. But I struggle finding the words to say, when to say them, and just the fear of putting yourself out there. I think any form of love takes risk. It is just as risky to love a friend, a spouse, co-worker, or classmate. And again, I think that is the bottom line. We need love, the greatest commandment. I want to love God and have that love overflow into my love for others. I want to strive to embrace the risk that comes with love. I don't think my question of how to communicate better is an answer anyone can give. I need to just try. I need to learn through doing. And God alone will be the source of the love that comes out.

Christianity and Culture

This lecture opened my eyes to something that, if praticed, could radically change the way we live and display Christ to others.

Click here

the restless saint

lost
confused
scared
weak

having drifted
lost his way

thirsty
dry
barren
empty

having forgotten
the living fountain

despair
futility
fear
hopelessness

having no faith
that joy will return

his redeemer calls out
but trust is failing

his father calls out
yet he has forgotten
what it means to live

he fears death
and wonders
will life return?

he takes a shaky step
toward the one who calls him

the weight leaves his shoulders
the hope returns

how could he have forgotten
the life that is his?
how could he have forgotten
his first love?

he listens
to the God who knows his name
and he is filled with joy again

he is humbled
before the throne
of his Lord
his Love
his Life

text and context

This is promo for the 2008 National Resurgence Conference
I post it because I think it talks about something that is very critical.

frustrated

Last night I was very frustrated. I went to scripture to find some encouragement and I ended up reading Galatians and the beginning of Romans. I hate trying to figure out salvation. There are parts of the bible that just do not seem to fit in my understanding of what salvation is and it drives me crazy. I started reading Romans and ended up literally throwing my bible across the room because I was so confused and frustrated. I sometimes just have to wonder how the heck we are suppose to understand the bible. I mean it was written so ridiculously long ago, in a different language, in a different culture and to a completely different group of people that we in the 21st century know very little about. Our only reliable source of truth is the scripture yet I wonder how God expects us to understand it. Our hermeneutics(the art of biblical interpretation) is inherently flawed and no matter how much we fight the baggage we bring into our reading of scripture it is still there to a greater or lesser degree. Most would say that the Holy Spirit guides us in our interpretation which I believe is true yet so many different bible obsessive, Christ loving Christians still can have different interpretations of passages in scripture so I am just perplexed.

I think there are some things about God and even salvation that we were never meant to understand but what about the explanations in the bible that I don't seem to make sense? obviously they are there for our understanding. So what shall we do when those don't confuse us?

a glorious doctrine

The reason I am a protestant is because I believe that the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness is the only hope for anyone to be saved. I believe this is screamed in the bible. The truth that I am saved by Christ's efforts alone is too glorious for words. I cannot believe in the Catholic doctrine of inherited righteousness, it is just not what I think happened at the cross. I believe that all my righteousness, good deeds, and my perfect obedience to the law that God requires was already done in the life of Christ and that when I stand before God on the day of judgement he will see Christ's life in place of mine. The wrath of God was completely satisfied when Christ died and now God is able to forgive me, a sinner, because justice has been served.

One of my favorite hymns states:
"When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne."

DEEP stuff

"...the increase of grace has a tendency another way, to cause the saints to think their deformity vastly more than their goodness: it not only tends to convince them that their corruption is much greater than their goodness, which is indeed the case; but it also tends to cause the deformity that there is in the least sin, or the least degree of corruption, to appear so great as vastly to outweigh all the beauty there is in their greatest holiness; for this also is indeed the case. For the least sin against an infinite God, has an infinite hatefulness or deformity in it, but the highest degree of holiness in a creature, has not an infinite loveliness in it: and therefore the loveliness of it is as nothings, in comparison of the deformity of the least sin. That every sin has infinite deformity and hatefulness in it, is most demonstrably evident; because what the evil, or iniquity, or hatefulness of sin consists in, is the violating of an obligation, or the being or doing contrary to what we should be or do, or are obliged to. And therefore by how much the greater the obligation is that is violated, so much the greater is the iniquity and hatefulness of the violation. But certainly our obligation to love and honor any being is in some proportion to his loveliness and honorableness, or to his worthiness to be loved and honored by us; which is the same thing. We are surely under greater obligation to love a more lovely being, than a less lovely; and if a Being be infinitely lovely or worthy to be loved by us, then our obligations to love him are infinitely great; and therefore, whatever is contrary to this love, has in it infinite iniquity, deformity, and unworthiness." -Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections