Intersected

Answers to all of our questions about the origin of evil are not found in the Scriptures, which means that God, the Writer and Director of this cosmic drama, did not deem them necessary for the story he wanted to tell. Are we satisfied with that, or must we continue to contrive answers for ourselves? My guess is that Christians would find themselves in less trouble theologically, culturally, and politically if we stuck with the questions God has chosen to answer, and immersed ourselves in the story he has chosen to tell.

From Skye Jethani’s The Dark Blight

Sure wish I could find the transcript of this whole speech

There have been some great books written about this topic recently, included In My Place Condemned He Stood, which I highly recomment. J.I. Packer makes an excellent point that our God, as perfect and just, requires a penalty be paid by his children who continue to sin. To not do so, would render him unjust. That penalty was paid by Christ, who was the propiation for ours sins, satisfying God’s wrath and paying our penalty.

All this talk about Democrats, and Republications, reaching to “people of faith” still rings pretty hollow if the policies proposed and solutions offered don’t flow from something more than getting elected.
Could I vote for someone who doesn’t believe anything that I believe but who I trusted and I agreed with on major issues (life, economics, education, health care)? Yes
Would that ever happen? No, because people would rather feign religiousity than be honest about what actually they believe, or don’t believe, and face the consequences and explanations.
It is becoming more apparent, though, that many people, both of faith and not, worship the body and man more than God. To enshrine personal autonomy and decision-making over dying to self in endemic, and only getting worse.
Were that we all were willing to lessen our freedom so as to not cause a brother or sister to stumble.

I’ve been quite delinquent in my blog posts, but I need to get this back going as a way to remember and refine. Keep an eye out for more frequent posts.

I’m really enjoying being a Dad. Julie is an amazing mom, who is incredibly patient with Malachi and I both and her willingness to serve models Christ to me daily.

Still praying through where God wants us to call our church home. Finding it a little difficult to trust myself, for I fear it is my pride speaking louder than I’m listening to God’s soft whisper. I need to read A Hunger for God – Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer by John Piper per Chris Rhodenhizer’s post. Being more of an Active versus a Contemplative means I need some of the vital disciplines that come naturally to a Contemplative, like prayer and fasting. It’s likely that my inability to have clear direction about in which body of believers God wants to plant us is a result of my inability and unwillingness to sufficiently mortify my flesh and dedicate myself wholly to Christ. Yet I feel consistently comforted and blessed to have a Savior who turned my heart to Him, offering a free gift “too marvelous for words” and who dwells with me daily.