Getting serious.

I am convinced that we are in constant danger of taking ourselves way too seriously, while not taking others seriously enough.

~Stephen

://depth

I find, in my prayers and in my life, that I have these seasons where I tend to hover around certain words and concepts. I'm not sure which is the fountainhead and which is the effluence--whether the words precipitate the ideas or vice-versa--but whatever the case may be, I can more or less tell when I've been in contiguity with something profound for an extended period of time. I have noticed words like "purpose", "relationship", "vitality", and "vision" (to name but a few) all pass through my vernacular with ebbing frequency, and there is a marked effect on me produced by each.


Lately, that word has been "depth".

Now, "depth" can mean a great many things, but as far as I use it now, I mean it in the sense of "profundity", or having incredible relevance to humanity and our relationship with God. The best example that I can presently think of would be Paul's doxology in his epistle to the Romans: "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" These things are massive, and must be encountered face-to-face before we can truly appreciate them.


Love, for instance, has such depth. We hunt for someone to fill the God-given gap in our hearts, but we often have little--if any--idea of what we will find when we reach our end. Parenthood is deep as well; for those of us who look forward to having a child (or four) when we grow older and get married, there is an inexorable hope and expectation, but one that pales in comparison with the experience of at last beholding your first-born, holding them in your arms, and moving on to cultivating your own flesh and blood.


Those are probably two of the more positive things of which we can say as having depth, but sorrow has depth as well as joy. Death cannot be prepared for. When we lose someone very dear to us (if we haven't already), there is an overwhelmingly acute and poignant pain that can only be understood by those who have also reckoned with such loss. Depression is just as incomprehensible; there exists despair that runs so deep that it would welcome death, if only to end the suffering.


My bottom line is this: we so are bound by our naivete and impoverishment of life-experience as to be ignorant of the true meaning--indeed, the true depth--of a whole host of experience. We cannot hope to gain the lovely things prematurely, nor can we hope to immunize ourselves against the dreadful things.


I can say with the utmost confidence that everyone has deep wounds, incomprehensible to the outside world. But as confident as I am of that, I am even more confident that Christ is deeper than our wounds. God is never daunted by our frailty--He sent His Son to confront it. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power." God runs a course so deep in our hearts, compared to which our deepest scars are but surface scratches, shallow troughs over which God's sea of abundant grace and provision may overflow. We cannot comprehend the depths of God's riches until we come face-to-face and toe-to-toe with Him ourselves, and we will find there the most unsearchable depths, and the most divine healing.


Peace and grace
Stephen

://climax

I'm currently exhausted. Today, I've lost an hour of sleep, traveled from one state to the next, and have subsisted on little more than Sonic, gelatinized candy, and sketchy camp food.

Being the type of person I am, I can hardly ever come out of weekends like this with less than copious introspection. I suppose I should rewind; when I say, "like this", I say that having spent this weekend at a winter retreat for a youth group in Wisconsin playing for the worship team with Dunker, Andrew, Caleb, Kelli, Dana, and Darien. It was adventurous, but only insofar as it's not every weekend that you get to drive 6 hours out-of-state to bless another ministry with your gifts.

Otherwise, I suppose, the weekend was kind of anti-climactic.

That statement should come with some qualification. I by no means mean to say that the weekend was boring, or banal, or mundane, or that the weekend wasn't worth my trouble. Quite the contrary; I have the fullest confidence that what the team and I have done this weekend will have a lasting impact on the lives of the students and Pastor Jeff's ministry.

So when I call the weekend "anti-climactic", I mean it in a twofold fashion: for me spiritually, and for me exclusively. I spent the entire weekend listening intently for God's voice, listening for the encouragement or challenge or pivotal moment that seem to be so prevalent in winter retreats. To my consternation, such never came.

It was during my obligatory introspection that I realize that perhaps I have some wrong impressions about spiritual growth. I guess I oftentimes hope that my spiritual walk will consist of an emotionally charged sojourn intermittently interrupted--but never stifled--by climactic embraces by which we mark off our lives. Not only is that not how walking with Christ works, I have to imagine that if it were, it would be exhausting. For myself, constantly trying to maintain some sort of contrived spiritual level would mean a lot of frivolous, taxing, and artificial striving, and I think that anyone who sees what I'm saying would agree.

I have been walking with Christ for the last two and a half years, and if there's one thing that I've learned during that time, it's that the calling of God is not one of great leaps and bounds, but of quiet steps, one after the other. We may find, from time to time, that the consistency and obeisance with which we have followed these steps brings us to soaring heights, menacing depths, and the dullest doldrums--all in their turn--but these are not the things by which we measure our spiritual growth. None of us wants to feel led along by forces that seem so out of our control--namely, design--but by taking such assiduous and decided steps, where we are, we will be by the Providence of God, and we find in those places incredible depth of meaning and purpose.

So now here I sit, not discouraged in the slightest by the sense of banality with which I view my weekend, but contented with the faintest sense of a job well done. I will close my weekend out with a time of prayer, and in all likelihood, it will be one, not of incredible portent, but of quietly sitting before God, and basking in His peaceful presence.

Peace and grace,

Stephen

Resolve

This post was written about a year and a half ago, but I still feel that the topic is both relevant and truthful.  Let's hear what you think! 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the past months, I have noticed seasons of change passing through my life. Not negative change, but just a maturing, a chastening from God. Among these natural seasons of challenge and possible (seemingly) distance from God, I have been blessed with a greater sense of security in my faith and a more in tune understanding of what life to the fullest looks like; and on the other hand what life with a blind fold on looks like.

This brings me to the area of resolve. We, as humans, are desperate for resolve. If we aren't careful to discipline ourselves, we will find that many of our preferences involve a crave for resolution. Think about it. When we watch a movie, no one wants a cliff-hanger ending. It bugs us, we want to know the ending. When two teams tie a game at a sporting event, we feel disappointed and anticipate a definitive outcome; we want one of the teams to win. We humans want to know everything and have every answer to every question that presents itself, even though there are obvious limits to our knowledge.

All through our lives we can find evidence of this natural attraction to resolve. I think this is part of our human nature, one of the qualities of being a mortal being. I also believe this is one of the reasons many people have trouble believing or submitting fully to a God who doesn't resolve. God is infinite, always has been here and always will be. If you or someone you know is having difficulty putting faith in an immortal God, remember our own mortality!  Another way to put it is that we, as humans, need to understand our own inability to understand.  Suppose for a second that we were all certain of God's existence.  How could we, limited beings, even begin to understand the ways of an infinite God?   We have to get over the fact that we won't have every answer, and we have to acquire perspective and faith.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In another aspect, we as Christ followers cannot allow resolve to influence our walk with Jesus. We can't get comfortable with our faith, slap a label and tie a bow to it, then say "Well, that's that." Our relationship with the Lord is a lifelong, even eternal process, constantly growing in richness.

I guess I had gotten to a point in my life where I was content with getting my feet wet, when God wanted to absolutely drench me in His wisdom, understanding and love. Thankfully, He poured out His spirit, and that's why I am here sharing with you. I'm typing this to urge you to think deeper, run this race harder, and NEVER become idly complacent with God. Just when you think you have all you need, He's about to rock your world.

"We ought to obey God rather than men...It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables."


Andrew

An Introduction

It was not long ago that I received a text message from a dear friend of mine which read the following:

"Hey man, ive got a little project/idea that i want to get some feedback on. Im gonna start praying on it, but a few days ago a thought came to my mind to create a blogspot that would consist of various posts of various topics which would be foundations for conversation. the past 2 years ive noticed that i think and observe the world in a certain way and i have maybe 10 or so topics about God, life, humanity and such that ive wrestled with and would be good to share via a blog. That being said about myself, if see the same type of thinking in u. my vision is this: to create a "critical thinking" blogspot that opens discussion on a variety of topics, where viewers are invited to add and participate, even disagree, with our points, to ultimately encourage critical thinking among christians and non-christians, to hopefully solidify beliefs, or even help someone along to salvation. Im just curious to hear ur opinions about this, please let me know!"

Shortly after, Andrew and I briefly discussed our vision for this blog, and he has since asked me to write up an introduction. This is that introduction.

I must admit that I had my reservations when Andrew proposed his blogspot to me. There's nothing I love more than starting a stimulating discussion, and doubly so for any discussion concerning faith (the sorts of which I find are often the most stimulating of them all). Still and all, I don't do deadlines. I'm sure if I was left to my own devices and somehow felt prompted to start a blog, I would soon become wearied of tending to such a demanding enterprise, and the blog would fall into obscurity.

Not withstanding my professed lack of assiduity, here I am, playing a role in not only instituting such a blog, but also in maintaining it.

I feel as if I should be writing my own personal mission statement for this blog, but if I'm to be perfectly honest, then I don't know what I expect out of this blog. I don't style myself much of a scholar, and whenever I do chance upon a serendipitously profound idea or the latest a priori gem of reasoning, I find myself bogging the idea down with excessive verbosity and circumlocution to the point of losing the idea entirely.

Still and all, I sincerely hope and pray that whatever I have to offer in the critical thinking department will be useful to some of our readers. I cannot make you, as readers, into who you will be tomorrow; I do not have that privelege. But if I can challenge you to come to grips with your own beliefs, Christian or otherwise; if I can put you in a position from which you can view yourself and others with all due sincerity and grace; if I can nudge your hearts until they are where you can see God, and see Him more clearly; then there is growth, and where there is growth, there is life.

So if I am pressed to formulate a missions statement (which I feel I am, if only from myself), it is this: I want to be an encouragement. Whether or not you believe in God, Jesus Christ, or even yourself, I want to be an encouragement. The world around us, with all of its innumerable complexities, is a daunting and unforgiving frontier. Anything I can do to add clarity and sense to the tempest of Life As We Know It is a step towards fullness and vitality; that's where I want to be, and that's where I want to see all of you.

Peace and grace,
Stephen

An Introduction

The past 4 years of high school have proven to be years of significant growth, physical growth of course (although I wouldn’t mind a little more facial hair), but more importantly these years have been essential periods of mental and spiritual growth.  As a high school student, you come across many different “characters”: the jocks, the druggies, or the small group of kids that haven’t seemed to overcome their middle school awkwardness. 

If I’d have to guess, I would say most people develop their ideologies and beliefs during this adolescent stage of life, and stick with them throughout their lifetime.  That being said, a teenage kid doesn’t wake up one day super jaded, addicted to drugs and a hardcore Atheist.  There is a process that leads a person to make certain decisions about their ‘faith’, let’s say, which includes many outside influences.  Family background, personal experiences, media, and peer pressure are all possible influences on the development of a person’s beliefs.

The spectrum of beliefs that a high school might contain is quite impressive, but also quite disappointing.  If I’m a person who believes that there is a right and a wrong way to live, which I am, then I would believe that the vast majority of people are living the “wrong” way.  But who am I to say so?  How dare I be so ignorant to assume that my way of living is the right way, right? 

Right.  In fact, I’ve contemplated these exact questions, and if I had never wrestled with the fidelity of my beliefs or faced the strongest arguments against my faith, then I would indeed be ignorant.  But I have wrestled with my faith, and I have faced its strongest arguments.  There have been pivotal seasons in my adolescent life where I have doubted the very existence of God, which would inevitably lead to the demise of my entire worldview.  The skeptic inside of me has tried his hand, he has entertained the loftiest doubts, but none of my suffocating doubts have prospered.  

I stand here as a man whose faith in Christ has thrived even through the darkest doubts and deepest regrets.  I (and my two fellow bloggers) write as men who have been blessed with a critical-thinking mind, set on God, who is the prevailing truth.  This blog is a dream composed by God in our hearts, to open discussion on the tough issues, to confront Christianity’s most threatening questions, and rejoice in the fact that God’s truth reigns even in the midst of adversity.

Now that I have adequately explained the inspiration behind this blogging endeavor, let’s talk about you, the reader.  This blog is never intended to be a one-sided conversation.  We want your input.  We want your feedback, your questions, your doubts.  The goal of this blog is to jumpstart conversation and to promote critical thinking among us all (yes, even the super jaded Atheist).   

Admittedly, I don’t exactly know what this blog will become, or if it will become anything at all.  I guess it’s a step of faith, and whatever happens, happens.  Fingers crossed!  Let’s hear your thoughts...

Andrew