Thanksgiving day
Alright,
its been a while since I've written (to myself). Not much has been going on. i just got back from Louisiana a few days ago. I'll post some pics soon. Have been doing ok, kind of up and down, discouraged with myself mostly...lack of personal discipline, bad decisions, needing God more yet seeking him less, wasting time, etc.
Had a great conversation with Bruce and Carole Winter (elder from church) at their house; i was there something like 5 hours. We talked about a lot of stuff...suffering, belief in God, brokenness and how Midland, MI on the surface seems like such a great place but really there is a lot of broken families, my internship, church life, etc. I learn a lot from them, but mostly I just really appreciate having their love and encouragement. They've made me really feel like part of their family - I guess I need that a lot, personally. Not just formal mentoring or classroom learning but being a part of someone's life, being included in their personal life, and receiving their love, encouragement, and life experience as their 'share and tell.'
Here's a great book I would recommend: Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt, and Certainty in Christian Discipleship. By Lesslie Newbigin. I really enjoy the book, he's a great writer, a kind of more-scholarly Francis Schaeffer. However, for as much as I read these books on Christian WV (worldview), philosophy, pomo (postmodern) theology, etc... I do not find it really grows my faith. Faith comes from something else, oh that I could 'figure out' faith. Oh that it wasn't just a given thing from God, or something like that. Oh, for more humility and brokenness and not treating life as a game, or a ride. I need more of God...through prayer, through the Word, through experience.
Questions of the day: Is the question, "What faith tradition is the true/best tradition?" a legitimate question? If the question is legitimate the second question is, Is there any way of answering that question, realizing that all tradition-judging criteria are rooted themselves in another tradition, subject to other criteria judgement?
posted by Matt Martin @ 12:33 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Bruce is a great guy. He stayed with us for a little while when I went with a team to Japan, and we got to hang out for a good couple days before he had to leave. And yes, Midland is one huge lie. THE WHOLE TOWN IS A LIE! Well, maybe not. But it does seem like a place where everyone pretends to be perfect and good while hiding a LOT of pain from the people around them.
I need to read some of Newbigin's work already. I have this huge list of books that I'd like to get for Christmas, and now I'll have to add that one to it. Shoot.
Man, you and me both brother. If I could figure out faith and it's mechanics, I would be...well, more faithful at least. It's like we try so hard to be faithful, and want more faith, and God just seems to kind of grow it within us, sometimes without us really even noticing. To me, it's one of the most mysterious aspects of the character of God, and I love it. He sanctifies you sometimes without you even knowing, so you know it's out of nothing you did. You can't earn it, and really, I don't think you can even work for it. All you can do is want it and ask for it.
The answer to your question is "No", I think. This is what I've come to realize: God's character may be the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, BUT at the same time, he is always creating and changing things. Look at how culture and Christianity have changed over the course of history. Do we still hold all-day services as the Puritans did? Who would have ever thought that Christian music could ever become a major business venture? How did these things come into play? I think the idea of God making all things new doesn't just hold to his changing of a person upon salvation, but it affects everything. Culture is constantly transforming, and traditions are changing as well. And honestly, so long as the new ideas don't contradict the teachings of Christ or Scripture, I have no qualms about new ideas, or even doing away with some of the old ones.
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