Friday, April 1, 2011

Q & A About God

         I want to thank you for being a part of this journey with me.  Hard to imagine being on it by myself.  God has given me a wonderful wife and daughter who love God and journey with me daily.  We have faced some tremendous challenges this past year, finances probably the biggest one.  Through this difficult season, Cassidy and Marcia never lost their laughter, never lost hope, always pushing forward.  We face our challenges in life with what we know about God.  Those beliefs are the moorings that guide and sustain us.  It is not just the beliefs, but the God that is attached to those beliefs.  Head knowledge alone leaves us frustrated if it does not connect us to the God it describes.  That connection turns head knowledge into heart knowledge.  Heart knowledge is a "living" belief that combines what we have learned about God in the Bible and in our everyday life.  We must be careful to interpret life based on what we know about God, not define God based on our life's experiences.  If we do the latter, we will have an ever changing God, totally unreliable.  In other words, our theology should dictate our lives, not our lives dictating our theology.
       The above comments bring us to the second leg of our journey, What We Believe About God: Good and Bad.  This part of the journey will really invite your comments.  We all share the same Bible for our theology, but none of us share the same life experiences.  We all have something to bring to the discussion.  We all can learn from each other. You are to be brutally honest in your comments.  Hard questions and even hard conclusions don't scare God off.  He knows when life's struggles are hard to understand,  we  have doubts, questions, fears and even at times want to chunk it all.  We never have to pretend with God.  Actually it is a futile exercise anyway, He knows all.  I welcome all comments and would love for there to be more discussion on this leg of the journey than the last.
        You're on the entrance ramp, hit the gas, hang on and let's go.   Let's discuss what we believe about God.  I want you to know on the front end; this leg of the journey is a setup for the next leg..  Here's what I mean.  We spent 30 days (blogs) talking about how God loves us.  If we don't get the fact that He is passionate about us settled deep down inside, then nothing else will matter.  On the other hand, if we know that we have never been loved like He loves us and that love is not based on anything you have or have not done, then you have a basis for trust.  You couple the assurance of His love with an understanding that He has a role for you in His "great plan" and  that His capabilities are totally unlimited then you have to respond to that.  You can't just let that kind of information leave you unchallenged and unchanged.  If God loves me, wants me to be a part of what He is up to and He has no limits, then we have the recipe for an incredible journey that will be more than you and I could ever imagine.
         In my mind, the first question is answered and settled.  GOD LOVES YOU!    He is passionately pursuing you all the time.  So if we are convinced that this God loves us then how we respond to that will be determined by what else we believe about Him.  Here are some questions we will need to answer on this leg of the journey.  Be thinking about these kinds of questions and be ready to bring your thoughts into the discussion.  This will be fun and powerful.
  1. Does He really want to be involved in our everyday life?
  2. Does He really want to use me?
  3. Is it really possible to communicate with God?
  4. Why would He depend on me to help carry out His "big dream"?
  5. Is He really all powerful and unlimited?
  6. Does He really know everything?
  7. Does He still perform miracles?
  8. Can I trust Him with my life?
  9. Does He really forgive my past?
  10. Does He really provide for my needs? 
We won't be limited to the above questions.  They are just examples.   Wouldn't you agree, if we can answer these question, we are faced with a need to respond with our lives.   Well, that's the leg we are on and we want you  to JOIN THE JOURNEY!

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    6 comments:

    1. Guy AndrewsApril 1, 2011 at 8:02 AM

      In Wesleyan perspective there are 4 tent pegs that help us find God. Scripture, Reason, the historical church (past and present) and experience.Scripture is the north star of this constellation.

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    2. Keith StreetApril 1, 2011 at 10:23 AM

      Hey Guy, Sorry I was not finished with the blog this morning. I hope you take the time to go back and reread it. Your comments are so very helpful. It is a reminder of the importance of Scripture, but also the historical perspective, both personal and the church at large. "Come let us REASON together, says the Lord" Thanks for your input.

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    3. Guy AndrewsApril 1, 2011 at 2:13 PM

      Keith, great framework. Luther said, "Love God and sin boldly." Another sage added to that by saying, "Let God love you boldly and sin boldly" Such a mystery that His love would exhibit itself on a Roman cross. Guy

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    4. Keith StreetApril 2, 2011 at 5:35 PM

      Guy, You are a walking, talking bag of gold nuggets. That's why I treasure time around you. Thanks for bringing that quality to my blog. Thanks for reminding us all that God's love is never challenged by sin. The more I love Him the less I love sin. Just maybe we have something here.

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    5. AnonymousApril 3, 2011 at 2:41 PM

      You guys are too deep for a country boy like me. Psalms 37:4 says "delight thyself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." He has to change our desires sometimes. I desired 3 things in life : 3 step the high hurdles, marry a cheerleader, and become the governor of Texas. None of my desires came to fruition, but God did change my desires. He let me see my wife through eyes that made her cheerleader in my eyes. He gave me something that lasts longer than being a governor, and He gives me the endurance to run the long race instead of the hurdles. And when the hurdles come, He lifts me over them. John K

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    6. Keith StreetApril 3, 2011 at 4:45 PM

      Hey, John, I can identify with the hurdles aspiration, I too ran the hurdles. I have scars to prove it. Your perspective is excellent because it lets us know that God is faithful to do in us what is necessary so He can use us. He created us with the gifts and abilities, but the ongoing adjustments of heart and mind keep us useable. thanks for your input. You always bring fresh perspective.

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