Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Final paper
My paper will not post because of something called a "META" tag? I will take it to the HelpDesk tomorrow.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Benifit Of Pain
Lewis talks about the problem of pain. But he also says that there are good virtues. Of course pain hurts and that's something we don't like about it. This can be beneficial, like a parent that is punishing a child for doing something wrong. God can use pain in the same way to correct this or help guide us when we're being obstinate. The Israelites and their 40 years of wandering in the desert are a prime example of this. But pain, he says, under a certain threshold is welcome.
As someone who enjoys pain to a certain extent I found this chapter to be very beneficial. I've often tried to explain to my friends why I like pain. And it's not that I necessarily like pain but the adrenaline rush and feeling of risk and adventure that comes with it. Today's society is so who had aided and protected that we have nothing to worry about when it comes to pain and anything that does happen is out of the ordinary. We desire to be tough and daring, but modernist society will not allow this by any extent.
This has I believe led to the invention of video games. We allowed to take risks and an incredible amounts of pain without the risk of being hurt. This brings a false sense of confidence. One must learn to live on their own and in the real world. It's like in the matrix where the false world is wonderful and safe and nothing can go wrong. But people still desire the real world where though they can fail, it's true.
People desire truth and reality, the problem is that truth and reality are painful. We need to be willing to accept pain for all it's worth. When we confess something to God, that's painful. So as Christians we need to be soldiers for God and be willing to take a little pain. And even to spread some pain because recognizing your sins is not a very comfortable thing. But we have hope to offer and redemption through the pain. Go out into life and be willing to take some risks and accept whatever painful consequences there are.
As someone who enjoys pain to a certain extent I found this chapter to be very beneficial. I've often tried to explain to my friends why I like pain. And it's not that I necessarily like pain but the adrenaline rush and feeling of risk and adventure that comes with it. Today's society is so who had aided and protected that we have nothing to worry about when it comes to pain and anything that does happen is out of the ordinary. We desire to be tough and daring, but modernist society will not allow this by any extent.
This has I believe led to the invention of video games. We allowed to take risks and an incredible amounts of pain without the risk of being hurt. This brings a false sense of confidence. One must learn to live on their own and in the real world. It's like in the matrix where the false world is wonderful and safe and nothing can go wrong. But people still desire the real world where though they can fail, it's true.
People desire truth and reality, the problem is that truth and reality are painful. We need to be willing to accept pain for all it's worth. When we confess something to God, that's painful. So as Christians we need to be soldiers for God and be willing to take a little pain. And even to spread some pain because recognizing your sins is not a very comfortable thing. But we have hope to offer and redemption through the pain. Go out into life and be willing to take some risks and accept whatever painful consequences there are.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Eternally Bound; Man or Rabbit?
In Lewis's essay Man or Rabbit, he discusses the eternal form of humanity. Whether we are bound to the earth or if we are eternally lasting. The materialist focuses on the brevity of a human life. Therefore the materialist puts much more value on things like the nation or corporations because they seem much more long lasting. Whereas we Christians know that we are eternally bound and therefore things like nations and corporations are hardly lasting.
The materialist will then take care of the earth in a seemingly religious way. He cares about the well-being of his nation and will therefore be one of the greatest patriots. He will work for corporations with great intensity because he believes in what they stand for or because he wants them to last. But this commitment is even used by God to further his Kingdom to take care of his earth and his people.
As Christians we should do the same but for different reasons. We should do it because we love God and his creation and want to share that love with other people. We work in recycling plants because we're stewards of the earth. We work in corporations because we believe in helping others through the services of a company we work for. We stand up for our country because of the freedoms it offers.
What we have to remember is that people aren't just the bodies that they live in their souls are eternally lasting. Our decisions will carry with us and others forever. Not the two-week forever that is used in conversation, but the forever meaning all of eternity. Let that sink in. The next time you meet someone think about what you say and how that can affect them forever. We have eternal trajectories so that small decisions now don't seem to make that big differences in our overall direction, but way off in the future will lead off the right path.
All that I'm trying to say is that we need to treat people like they are eternal. And remember that we need to love and always seek to learn more. The better we know people better we can help them. The more we know the better we can help people. So go out into the rest of your college years and keep eternity in mind.
The materialist will then take care of the earth in a seemingly religious way. He cares about the well-being of his nation and will therefore be one of the greatest patriots. He will work for corporations with great intensity because he believes in what they stand for or because he wants them to last. But this commitment is even used by God to further his Kingdom to take care of his earth and his people.
As Christians we should do the same but for different reasons. We should do it because we love God and his creation and want to share that love with other people. We work in recycling plants because we're stewards of the earth. We work in corporations because we believe in helping others through the services of a company we work for. We stand up for our country because of the freedoms it offers.
What we have to remember is that people aren't just the bodies that they live in their souls are eternally lasting. Our decisions will carry with us and others forever. Not the two-week forever that is used in conversation, but the forever meaning all of eternity. Let that sink in. The next time you meet someone think about what you say and how that can affect them forever. We have eternal trajectories so that small decisions now don't seem to make that big differences in our overall direction, but way off in the future will lead off the right path.
All that I'm trying to say is that we need to treat people like they are eternal. And remember that we need to love and always seek to learn more. The better we know people better we can help them. The more we know the better we can help people. So go out into the rest of your college years and keep eternity in mind.
Love For Vocation
In Plantinga's book he talks about the need for a vocation and the reasons that God calls us to work. It can be confusing about how God's love plays into our vocation. Some people seem to think that we can only earn his love by doing just what he wants. This of course is wrong, God love is unconditional. Paul even said that we cannot get to heaven on good works alone. So why should we bother with our vocation.
Love is the reason we do our vocation. Why we search for the most suitable job. Because we want to please God. Because he first loved us, and want to return the favor as best we can. Because we love God we want to work. We want to advance God's kingdom. So we go about our education with the intent of finding something that will most help people. Especially anything that will help them come to know Jesus.
Our vocation is exactly what we want to do, but it is what we are best at and will advance the Kingdom the most. For example I really love to drive and because of that would love to be a rally car racer. But I don't see that advancing the Kingdom very well. So I'm defaulting the something I like a little less which is to be a surgeon. I can help people much more through this and will be able to spread the word that way.
It comes down to the idea of carrying your own cross. We need to be willing to sacrifice what we want for the sake of the Kingdom. We need to sacrifice time and energy in the effort to spread the good news. We have to sacrifice. Jesus is our example and we need to follow him. He was willing to sacrifice his life for the whole of humanity. Shouldn't we do the same?
Love is the reason we do our vocation. Why we search for the most suitable job. Because we want to please God. Because he first loved us, and want to return the favor as best we can. Because we love God we want to work. We want to advance God's kingdom. So we go about our education with the intent of finding something that will most help people. Especially anything that will help them come to know Jesus.
Our vocation is exactly what we want to do, but it is what we are best at and will advance the Kingdom the most. For example I really love to drive and because of that would love to be a rally car racer. But I don't see that advancing the Kingdom very well. So I'm defaulting the something I like a little less which is to be a surgeon. I can help people much more through this and will be able to spread the word that way.
It comes down to the idea of carrying your own cross. We need to be willing to sacrifice what we want for the sake of the Kingdom. We need to sacrifice time and energy in the effort to spread the good news. We have to sacrifice. Jesus is our example and we need to follow him. He was willing to sacrifice his life for the whole of humanity. Shouldn't we do the same?
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Lord of the Rings
The "Inner Ring" explains a series of circles that you are always trying to get in to. We have formed our society around. We are always trying to get into different circles. whether that be a quartet or a team or even the military. Many circles have been formed like gangs or cliques in school just so that we can feed our need to keep someone out. It is not that these circles are bad, but it is the exclusion that we don't like.
There can be a lot of effects Wann we are excluded from circles. Some are angry others are just sad. But whenever we make it into the circles we don't sympathize, or with a long the lives of others. This lack of sympathy is what causes the most controversy. There isn't as much reward to entering new circles as one may think. We join these circles expecting some deep bond of fellowship. But all that comes is the ability to exclude someone else.
Many people get these circles and true friendship confused. True friendship comes from spending time with people who enjoy the same things who have similar experiences. It comes from doing things that you love and finding other people who love the same things. Through this we can find a much deeper bond between people. People are willing to drop whatever they have and come to the rescue their friends. I once tried pit orchestra hoping to get into the circle of the theater. I enjoyed it and deepened some friendships that I already had. But I didn't find any new friends and I didn't find any entrance into the theater circle.
What we need to remember is that, even though we are rejected from a circle, there will always be a circle for us to be rejected from. What we need to enjoy the friendship that we already have in the support and love that comes from those. Continue on developing friendships and doing things you love. Don't be put off by one small circle that you can't seem to get into there more important things in life. Open up and show your true self and you'll find true friends.
There can be a lot of effects Wann we are excluded from circles. Some are angry others are just sad. But whenever we make it into the circles we don't sympathize, or with a long the lives of others. This lack of sympathy is what causes the most controversy. There isn't as much reward to entering new circles as one may think. We join these circles expecting some deep bond of fellowship. But all that comes is the ability to exclude someone else.
Many people get these circles and true friendship confused. True friendship comes from spending time with people who enjoy the same things who have similar experiences. It comes from doing things that you love and finding other people who love the same things. Through this we can find a much deeper bond between people. People are willing to drop whatever they have and come to the rescue their friends. I once tried pit orchestra hoping to get into the circle of the theater. I enjoyed it and deepened some friendships that I already had. But I didn't find any new friends and I didn't find any entrance into the theater circle.
What we need to remember is that, even though we are rejected from a circle, there will always be a circle for us to be rejected from. What we need to enjoy the friendship that we already have in the support and love that comes from those. Continue on developing friendships and doing things you love. Don't be put off by one small circle that you can't seem to get into there more important things in life. Open up and show your true self and you'll find true friends.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Redeeming The Seemingly Unredemptable
This chapter deals with the redemption of Earth. How we can work towards making things unholy holy. Redeeming contemptible things for use in God's kingdom. Christian rock is an example of this. People used to think that rock was the music of the devil. People have gone as far to say that the world itself could be redeemed. Even to a point comparable to the Garden of Eden.
This comes back to my point on total depravity. We must have something redeemable in us. The world must have something redeemable in it. It is foolish to write off people and the world as evil. There is so much we can do through and with the power of Christ. It the Garden of Eden remained on Earth even after Adam and Eve sinned. So if there is anything good on Earth that is it. I think there must be more. If the Earth retained something good through the process of the Fall, why not us? It is almost a metaphor. Our bodies are fallen but there is a patch or a memory of good in them.
We can reach that goodness and expand it like spring coming again to Narnia. Our sins are like the White Witch turning the good animals to stone, slowly eradicating the good in us. But there were a few good ones left who were hiding and resisting. What we needed was Aslan. He is like Christ coming to us. We need him to disband the evil but there has to be someone willing to let Him in. We would never accept Christ's forgiveness if we were totally evil. What I'm trying to say is that the world may have a lot of evil in it but we need to put that aside. We need to look for the good so that we can nurture it through love.
This comes back to my point on total depravity. We must have something redeemable in us. The world must have something redeemable in it. It is foolish to write off people and the world as evil. There is so much we can do through and with the power of Christ. It the Garden of Eden remained on Earth even after Adam and Eve sinned. So if there is anything good on Earth that is it. I think there must be more. If the Earth retained something good through the process of the Fall, why not us? It is almost a metaphor. Our bodies are fallen but there is a patch or a memory of good in them.
We can reach that goodness and expand it like spring coming again to Narnia. Our sins are like the White Witch turning the good animals to stone, slowly eradicating the good in us. But there were a few good ones left who were hiding and resisting. What we needed was Aslan. He is like Christ coming to us. We need him to disband the evil but there has to be someone willing to let Him in. We would never accept Christ's forgiveness if we were totally evil. What I'm trying to say is that the world may have a lot of evil in it but we need to put that aside. We need to look for the good so that we can nurture it through love.
Eros
Eros is a wonderful thing. It is a beautiful emotion and bond based on friendship attraction and so much more. Eros is love. The love between a man and a woman. Almost unexplainable in it's effects. We find Eros everywhere. People all over the world are craving it. falling in love is the easy part though, sticking it through can be much harder than we can ever imagine. Eros also is not based off a sexual attraction. We are enamored with this wonderful, intelligent, sensitive person we find.
I think it is very hard to find relationships that we're not found off at least somewhat of a sexual attraction at first. This is where i think Lewis is wrong. People are always looking, and looking first notices somebodies outer appearance. I don't think that there is anything wrong with this. For centuries we have been dressing up, even in absurd ways, just to impress the opposite sex.
We need to look past that though and find the wonderful person underneath. We need to find out what they love, what annoys them, family history. People in love share a deep connection and the more you know about that person the deeper that connection is. So of course it is okay to be looking for someone attractive as long as you are willing to share yourself with that person and connect beyond the physical body.
I think it is very hard to find relationships that we're not found off at least somewhat of a sexual attraction at first. This is where i think Lewis is wrong. People are always looking, and looking first notices somebodies outer appearance. I don't think that there is anything wrong with this. For centuries we have been dressing up, even in absurd ways, just to impress the opposite sex.
We need to look past that though and find the wonderful person underneath. We need to find out what they love, what annoys them, family history. People in love share a deep connection and the more you know about that person the deeper that connection is. So of course it is okay to be looking for someone attractive as long as you are willing to share yourself with that person and connect beyond the physical body.
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