tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604708.post115221882710561736..comments2023-10-24T11:39:29.857-04:00Comments on the inconsistent adopted: g13http://www.blogger.com/profile/13856920828414078560noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604708.post-1152301756763175752006-07-07T15:49:00.000-04:002006-07-07T15:49:00.000-04:00thanks to one and all for your comments. i am alwa...thanks to one and all for your comments. i am always a little amazed when people find a way to connect with my incoherent ramblings.<BR/><BR/>this afternoon - while our system at work was down and i was continuing my rather lascivious surf through the web - i ran across this synopsis of reformed theology by mark driscoll on <A HREF="http://christianitytoday.com" REL="nofollow">CT</A>:<BR/><BR/>"reformed theology offers certainty, with a masculine God who names our sin, crushes Jesus on the Cross for it, and sends us to hell if we fail to repent."<BR/><BR/>there are still times that i would like to offer people a punchy, direct synopsis of the gospel like this (well, all except for the patriarchal part), but my understanding of the Scriptures and my experience of the Trinity's unexpected and scandalous operations of grace make it almost completely impossible for me to do so. instead of offering people concepts i am learning to walk with them as together we (knowingly or unknowingly) follow Jesus, participate with others (inside and outside) of the body as we seek justice and somehow find a way to polish and place my tile onto the complex and ever-growing mosaic that reminds us of the promise of and serves as our current messy, limited picture of God's Kingdom.<BR/><BR/>does that sound <I>liberal</I> or what? i suppose i need to set the internet aside for a while and start reading <I>the institutes</I>.<BR/><BR/>thanks for joining me on the journey.g13https://www.blogger.com/profile/13856920828414078560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604708.post-1152299598364279422006-07-07T15:13:00.000-04:002006-07-07T15:13:00.000-04:00gentry, i relate to this too. last weekend, i end...gentry, i relate to this too. last weekend, i ended up in a long conversation with a homeless guy, and he went as far as to ask me for advice. immediately the flood of verses about god caring for sparrows and flowers came to mind, but i was left dead silent over how i could even think of muttering these words to this broken man. how do you tell this guy not to be anxious about what to eat and drink? so i just looked him in the eyes and stammered something along the lines of "i don't know what to tell you"... so then we ended up just sitting together quietly for some time until something else came up. honest? yeah. incarnational? maybe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604708.post-1152253038188301822006-07-07T02:17:00.000-04:002006-07-07T02:17:00.000-04:00man i resonate with a lot here.i think, and james ...man i resonate with a lot here.<BR/><BR/>i think, and james can attest to this, that one of my biggest stumbling blocks has always been other christians. i, being a broke mortal, have on more than one occasion had to choke back down the vomet and bile that rises up into my throat when someone tries to put a bandaid on a bullet wound.<BR/><BR/>once when i was in a deep, deep depresion someone gave me a list of verses that were supposed to be about having joy and blah blah blah. the problem wasn't that they gave me verses (well, yeah that was part of the problem) it was that the verses (and the persons world view) did not include the possiblity of depression as being part of the journey for some of us - something to be embraced not avoided. <BR/><BR/>as far as "sharing" the gospel with this guy, i have a hard time with that as well. i often think to myself, who the hell am i to tell someon about a loving god when that loving god isn't even providing the guy with a roof? it just seems trite, but then i get all conflicted cause in reality we are called to make disciples and that does include a verbal whitness. i guess it is all about how you do it and who you are. if you are sincere and can avoid the cliche i think maybe you could be ok.<BR/><BR/>and, well, a tv/dvd player? wtf? why didn't you just rent a climbing movie and watch that while using a stair master in an airconditioned room?Mike Murrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17953216797987615864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604708.post-1152244661100661422006-07-06T23:57:00.000-04:002006-07-06T23:57:00.000-04:00Most of the time guys like me (and maybe you) get ...Most of the time guys like me (and maybe you) get jealous of the life of guys like Armand. Few worries or responsibilities...<BR/><BR/>Sure, the Armands of our world have issues. But who of us don't? So why fantasize about dragging him into our miserable world when he seems fine with his? <BR/><BR/>Why prepare him more for the gates of hell (so to speak)?<BR/><BR/>I know this is so christianese and cliche', but knowing you and your cohorts, I'm sure a whole crop-o-seeds were planted his way. It ain't your job to make him into something. The reaping and sowing is now before him. Who knows how the CEO will show up in his life.<BR/><BR/>Maybe through a MW Smith CD.Agent Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03722186597399802204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604708.post-1152243361238422182006-07-06T23:36:00.000-04:002006-07-06T23:36:00.000-04:00let's see cosmic vending machine. ingesting michae...let's see cosmic vending machine. ingesting michael w. smith cds for cures. and a couple other witty responses sound eerily familiar to what i feel like sometime. good thoughts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com