Last night, around 8pm, I decided I was in the "reading" mood... So I set down
with one of Ted Dekker's newer book: The Saint . Let me just start by saying that the book was absolutly incredible. I did not stop reading until 2am, when I had finished the book. I havent read that much at one time since my Harry Potter days...
It was exactly what I was needing. An adventure. If any of you all are familiar with Ted Dekker, then you know what type of book this was. Brief summary: It is about a sniper that is stripped of his own identity so that he can push the boundries of his mind and his soul and push into the unimaginable. Eventually, it ties the (great) story in with a Christian theme of the power of our minds, the neccesity for true love- of God and man, and the power of truth.
If you are in look of a good aventure book that will really stretch your mind and re-introduce you to the imaginative side of faith, and make you even more respectful of the fact that our faith really cannont be cognitavly be quantified- and any attempt to only limits our capiabilities as believers.... I would recommend this book.
To those who have read the book, I would like to offer this excerpt-
By Alexander Pope
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
This reminds me of the key theme in the beginning of the book- the loss of identity to gain some sort of upper hand in life. Whether or not you have read the book, Im sure this is something you can relate to. As we get older, it seems that what was once our "child-like faith" and imagination is replaced slowly with things called "facts" and supposed truths. Then, we pay tons of money every week for something called entertaiment, which is often times, just individuals who are pushing the limits of what we call facts. Whether it is a football game, or a movie. Our bodies, and our minds crave examples of people who can push beyond these limits. The ironic thing is that the limits are nothing more then mirrors and shadows.
Do you remember a time when you believed in something mystical?
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Friday, December 08, 2006
Interesting Thought
In retrospect /analysis of my own life I have been thinking about the life of Jesus. Currently, I have been troubled by a decision. The University of Tulsa is a great place to be, but I feel I really need to be saturated by the word of God, and really need a nurishing enviorment to study and seek the face of God. Because of this, I am taking steps towards transferring to Grove City College to study Christian Thought. You can see a discription of the major Here.
It seems to caputre what I want to study right now, however, I am also
afraid that I might be abadoning my friends and my community for the pursuit of my own walk with God. I am a firm believer that community and fellowship with others is a huge part of our walk with God, but right now I feel like I should be preparing myself and seeking God, in a sort of temporary independance.
So, I started to look at the life of Jesus and noticed something very interesting. Aside from him leaving his home to go preach elsewhere (which I understand may not be my case as I have a good home and family) - here is an ineresting thought:
Jesus didnt start "His time" until he was around 30 years of age. Also, there is no real record of his earlier life. You never see his "old friends" appear anywhere. It seems that when Jesus hits 30, all he has is his family and his "brother".
I have been really pressed hard by people and life that there is a rush for community, and a rush to establish tons of relationships with tons of people around you. But I dont think that is right. I have said this before, and will say it again. For me, college is a time of preporation. I fully intend to cast myself and my life into the depths of this world, but to do it without any sort of preperation just wouldn't be smart. Im not saying I am hesitant to go out into the "real-world", because if any of you know me, you know that hesitant is one thing I am not. I am just saying that maybe there is some significance to the fact that it took Jesus 30 years to be "ready". And perhaps we should be willing to spend a few years ourselves.
Thoughts?
-Z
It seems to caputre what I want to study right now, however, I am also
afraid that I might be abadoning my friends and my community for the pursuit of my own walk with God. I am a firm believer that community and fellowship with others is a huge part of our walk with God, but right now I feel like I should be preparing myself and seeking God, in a sort of temporary independance.
So, I started to look at the life of Jesus and noticed something very interesting. Aside from him leaving his home to go preach elsewhere (which I understand may not be my case as I have a good home and family) - here is an ineresting thought:
Jesus didnt start "His time" until he was around 30 years of age. Also, there is no real record of his earlier life. You never see his "old friends" appear anywhere. It seems that when Jesus hits 30, all he has is his family and his "brother".
I have been really pressed hard by people and life that there is a rush for community, and a rush to establish tons of relationships with tons of people around you. But I dont think that is right. I have said this before, and will say it again. For me, college is a time of preporation. I fully intend to cast myself and my life into the depths of this world, but to do it without any sort of preperation just wouldn't be smart. Im not saying I am hesitant to go out into the "real-world", because if any of you know me, you know that hesitant is one thing I am not. I am just saying that maybe there is some significance to the fact that it took Jesus 30 years to be "ready". And perhaps we should be willing to spend a few years ourselves.
Thoughts?
-Z
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Why
Once upon a time, there was a kid who cared about the world he lived in. He spent hours positing thoughts and ideas about the world he lived in. But alas, he grew tired of positing simply to receive no response, and so in his high-school immaturity, he gave up on transcribing the interworkings of his heart and mind, and has since then isolated his thoughts and opinions to tragically long conversations with people who barely knew him.
Okay, Im done speaking in the third-person.... just thought I would try it out, lol. Seriously though, I did use to post like crazy when I was younger. Last night, I went through my old xang and started read-reading my posts from highschool. I was supprised, to be honest, not at the "greatness of the posts"... but that I once thought about things in such a way, that I really put forth so much effort to understand my calling, and how to interact with God. I think that I have lost that over the last few years. It is strange how just a year or two outside of any sort of Christian enviornment will change you. I think that for the most part the change has been for the better. I have learned a lot, and matured quite a bit.
However, I think it is time for me to re-emerce myself into the Pursuit of Christ. Psalms 37:4 reads, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” And that is really what I have been trying to do over the last 6 months, is figure out what it means to, and how to “delight yourself in the Lord”. I'm not talking about some extensive, cognitive analysis of the subject, but rather just a gradual process of seeking God and the things that bring me peace. For instance, I have learned over the last month that the only times I feel at peace, and not rushed is when I am reading or talking to someone about life. Anything relating to life in the bigger picture, I am a huge fan of. I guess that is why I post the way that I do. The life that God has given us is what I am passionate about in life. And not just my life, but yours as well. For the longest time, I posted thoughts about life, and then grew frustrated because I felt I was posting in vain. I felt that my words were going nowhere. This was the same with my friendships. I have lost basically all of my friends over the last two years. I am now left with two friends, a good family, and a world of acquaintances. At first, this really troubled me. I felt that I needed the security that a great number of friends offers, but eventually that faded and I realized that life was not about a rat-race for security.
As I started to look at my relationship with God, and the types of relationships we are suppose to have with those around us, I started to laugh at my previous idea of friends. I don't think such a term should ever have existed. What we are suppose to have now are relationships. The number of them is irrelevant, all that matters is the quality. What I want from life is relationships with people. Actual relationships, where we can talk about life, its victories and struggles, without the fear of abandonment or isolation. But, that takes time. So, here I am posting random thoughts.
New rules for my Blog.
Okay, that is all for today.
-Z
Okay, Im done speaking in the third-person.... just thought I would try it out, lol. Seriously though, I did use to post like crazy when I was younger. Last night, I went through my old xang and started read-reading my posts from highschool. I was supprised, to be honest, not at the "greatness of the posts"... but that I once thought about things in such a way, that I really put forth so much effort to understand my calling, and how to interact with God. I think that I have lost that over the last few years. It is strange how just a year or two outside of any sort of Christian enviornment will change you. I think that for the most part the change has been for the better. I have learned a lot, and matured quite a bit.
However, I think it is time for me to re-emerce myself into the Pursuit of Christ. Psalms 37:4 reads, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” And that is really what I have been trying to do over the last 6 months, is figure out what it means to, and how to “delight yourself in the Lord”. I'm not talking about some extensive, cognitive analysis of the subject, but rather just a gradual process of seeking God and the things that bring me peace. For instance, I have learned over the last month that the only times I feel at peace, and not rushed is when I am reading or talking to someone about life. Anything relating to life in the bigger picture, I am a huge fan of. I guess that is why I post the way that I do. The life that God has given us is what I am passionate about in life. And not just my life, but yours as well. For the longest time, I posted thoughts about life, and then grew frustrated because I felt I was posting in vain. I felt that my words were going nowhere. This was the same with my friendships. I have lost basically all of my friends over the last two years. I am now left with two friends, a good family, and a world of acquaintances. At first, this really troubled me. I felt that I needed the security that a great number of friends offers, but eventually that faded and I realized that life was not about a rat-race for security.
As I started to look at my relationship with God, and the types of relationships we are suppose to have with those around us, I started to laugh at my previous idea of friends. I don't think such a term should ever have existed. What we are suppose to have now are relationships. The number of them is irrelevant, all that matters is the quality. What I want from life is relationships with people. Actual relationships, where we can talk about life, its victories and struggles, without the fear of abandonment or isolation. But, that takes time. So, here I am posting random thoughts.
New rules for my Blog.
- I cannot spell. I have been informed of this by countless friends, teachers, and family members. I am just going to admit it now, and beg you all to bear with me through my habitual fault.
- Anything I say on this blog is open for critique, criticism, and speculation. Most of the time, I am just offering my opinions on subjects, even though I might state them as facts. So please, if you don't agree with, or feel like questioning something – go for it. I promise you, you wont hurt my feelings, lol.
- I have no clue how often I will be doing this, but I hope once a week. It will depend solely on the amount of time I have.
- If you read my posts, please, if nothing else, say hi. It is nice to know that people actually read these things.
- Please, do not skim my posts. That is annoying. I know my words are long and that I get distracted easily, but I would appreciate your concentration.
Okay, that is all for today.
-Z
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
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