July 01, 2007

Sanitized Travel Journal – Part II

Early June…

…and then there is ministry time. Interesting evenings of small groups with varied direction toward invitation in what the Spirit may [or may not] be doing here and now. How do concepts of the Kingdom translate, and when are you hung up on the ‘physical manifestations’ of God? Having been trained in anthropology for so many years, I really get a kick out of this whole ‘culture’ discussion when it comes to Christian ideas. What does the cultural context of Kingdom theology look like? When is my metaphor the same one as yours?

Sometimes I feel like I’m just watching a show. There are roles being played, but the depth of knowledge & understanding in God’s work seems off kilter. I really don’t think I even need to be here. God, I pray you “soften my heart” [christianese for, make me less of a wiener]. Just allow me to stay out of my own way, so that I will be available for your use.

Sometimes we are so weak in faith – a faith in a manipulated and diluted gospel that conforms to our lives, rather than changing our lives for God & Jesus. How do we walk out our faith, instead of simply following the culture we interact in about us?

When times get bad, people cry out for help.
They cry for relief from being kicked around, but never give God a thought when things go well, when God puts spontaneous songs in their hearts, when God sets out the entire creation as a science classroom, using birds and beasts to teach wisdom.People are arrogantly indifferent to God— until, of course, they're in trouble, and then God is indifferent to them.
There's nothing behind such prayers except panic; the Almighty pays them no mind.
So why would he notice you just because you say you're tired of waiting to be heard, or waiting for him to get good and angry and do something about the world's problems?
Job 35:9-15 (MSG)

1 comment:

Sabriel said...

Interesting. I just decided to check out your blog. I can say that I understand on some level, but on other's I think that either you are speaking of things I do not understand or we do not see eye to eye. Either is equally possible, but both are probable.