Genesis

1 - I'm in the midst of reading a somewhat convicting book by Shane Claiborne called The Irresistible Revolution. It tosses out somewhat irreverent questions like if there were no heaven or hell would you still follow Jesus? Which some may just laugh off as crazy but it surely does put some heft to the acceptance of Jesus' love as the center and as the reflection of the choices we might make as Christians.

I'm one of those people who flip through a book, grasping at phrases to see whether I might buy it and the phrase that popped out at me was this (and somewhat ties to the sermon) "...you start to think there must be more to Christianity, more than just laying your life and sins at the foot of the cross. I came to realize that preachers were telling me to lay my life at the foot of the cross and weren't giving me anything to pick up." "I had become a 'believer', but I had no idea what it means to be a follower."

I'm thankful that I was led back to God. I didn't stray very far, but even a few steps is too far. It's tough to wander through dark times as it is, but without a foundation of hope that God's love means you'll get through the dark, it can be an awful murky place. (Comment this)

2 - I always hated it when my parents said "because I'm dad and I said so" probably as much as just as much as the idea of God administering punishment just because He says so.

Children die, people suffer, bad things happen. I think it might be easy to jump to the conclusion of wondering if the affliction is administered by God as a punishment or whether it just happened.

Leaping to the conclusion that Katrina happened because the people of New Orleans were being punished or that a child is born with disabilities because God was punishing his parents just has never sit right either.

So God is God and we are not. I think the first blog thought might be on target. Love is always there, even in the storm. (Comment this)

3 - Sometimes I just like taking the easy way out and being told what to do, then I can say I was just doing what I was told. Often times I find myself asking, I am a follower and this is what I was told do..but why am I doing it...because He is God is good enough but to see the big picture is so hard. I like to know the stories of how God moved in someones life and then come to find out that my obediance played a part in that. Usually I will never know but the few times it has happened have been cool to find out about. Example I am thinking of is being woke up in the night and lead to pray for a soldier in the field and then find out that he felt surrounded by angels on that day, that stuff is so cool! (Comment this)