Son of a preacha man!
Last night I spoke at watermark for the first time as the one who was teaching or sharing. I must admit throughout the past couple of weeks I have been very anxious about how it would go, whether or not it would be good, whether or not people would like me. But God is good and God likes me...:). He speaks when we are muted by our own intellect, and he moves when we are stagnant, and he is giving when we are self-centered and focused upon all that is at hand for us personally. God is beyond me! That is exciting! God is much stronger than I am! That, I find comforting because if he weren't we would all be screwed! Overall God is God, and at times I really need to stop and remember that. I cannot control all and that I need to be okay with. I am given many things and I feel that I need be responsible with what is given me, and make the most of it for His kingdom.
I am learning this more and more, and as that relates to me in context of last night? Well, things did not go as I had planned. I had hoped for a true discussion, yet I sort of ended up talking for most of the time. I ended up really just sharing what was on my mind and on my heart instead of allowing us all to share the moment together, but you know I feel that that is what was meant to occur. I honestly don't remember half of it. I do know that I shared some very embarassing stories (who cares) and I laid what I was chewing on out on the table and who can really be embarrassed about that? Especially at a place like watermark where we try and live out transparency and true community? No one. Or at least no one should be embarassed by what they are working through. We should always be willing to walk alongside those through struggles, we should encourage struggles. We should encourage a walk through faith that is willing that pain should come, that maturity will develop, a faith that we can test, and that we should question in healthy ways striving to perfect it (though we know we will not). Is this not a relational faith with a relational community in relationship with God? I think it is and I feel it is necessary that we walk through these times together in love.
Donald Miller says that intimate love, relational love is exclusive. We cannot spread the love we have for God amongst many other gods and expect Him to want that relationship with us. No. We need God therefore we need his love, we want his love, an exclusive love that reacts cosmically with our souls and projects us forward into a world of loving others selflessly. I find it interesting that this exclusive love with God makes us into beings that are not selfish with our love. Yes we need exclusive loving relationships, but beyond this natural (God-given) love-partnership, we have a love that is beyond us and must, MUST find ways to reach a world that is in pain. A world that desires to understand why we have joy amidst all that we may suffer. How do we have this joy, this true joy in the midst of our personal pain? I feel like at that point is when we will understand what it means to love. That we can love God beyond our own personal pain and still look to aid those around us who may even be hurting less than us, who may be broken in more minute ways than us, is how love translates into this world. I may be on my own in thinking this, but I feel this is one definite manifestation (of possibly many) of God's love among us. I hope that as I continue pondering this love-thing that i will mature in faith because of it, and hopefully learn to enact love in ways that I am not even conscious of. That love is so engrained in who I am because of Christ's love for me, that I just am love for others. I have a long way to go to be sure, but I hope I am not alone, and I hope that we can join together in whatever ways possible in trekking this trail toward love and God together. Many Blessings Y'all!
::RJ
I am learning this more and more, and as that relates to me in context of last night? Well, things did not go as I had planned. I had hoped for a true discussion, yet I sort of ended up talking for most of the time. I ended up really just sharing what was on my mind and on my heart instead of allowing us all to share the moment together, but you know I feel that that is what was meant to occur. I honestly don't remember half of it. I do know that I shared some very embarassing stories (who cares) and I laid what I was chewing on out on the table and who can really be embarrassed about that? Especially at a place like watermark where we try and live out transparency and true community? No one. Or at least no one should be embarassed by what they are working through. We should always be willing to walk alongside those through struggles, we should encourage struggles. We should encourage a walk through faith that is willing that pain should come, that maturity will develop, a faith that we can test, and that we should question in healthy ways striving to perfect it (though we know we will not). Is this not a relational faith with a relational community in relationship with God? I think it is and I feel it is necessary that we walk through these times together in love.
Donald Miller says that intimate love, relational love is exclusive. We cannot spread the love we have for God amongst many other gods and expect Him to want that relationship with us. No. We need God therefore we need his love, we want his love, an exclusive love that reacts cosmically with our souls and projects us forward into a world of loving others selflessly. I find it interesting that this exclusive love with God makes us into beings that are not selfish with our love. Yes we need exclusive loving relationships, but beyond this natural (God-given) love-partnership, we have a love that is beyond us and must, MUST find ways to reach a world that is in pain. A world that desires to understand why we have joy amidst all that we may suffer. How do we have this joy, this true joy in the midst of our personal pain? I feel like at that point is when we will understand what it means to love. That we can love God beyond our own personal pain and still look to aid those around us who may even be hurting less than us, who may be broken in more minute ways than us, is how love translates into this world. I may be on my own in thinking this, but I feel this is one definite manifestation (of possibly many) of God's love among us. I hope that as I continue pondering this love-thing that i will mature in faith because of it, and hopefully learn to enact love in ways that I am not even conscious of. That love is so engrained in who I am because of Christ's love for me, that I just am love for others. I have a long way to go to be sure, but I hope I am not alone, and I hope that we can join together in whatever ways possible in trekking this trail toward love and God together. Many Blessings Y'all!
::RJ
posted by RJ at 5/01/2006 10:38:00 AM
2 Comments:
thank you for serving and loving your community - we need you to be YOU!! that IS the good news. you love God and you love others - that is apparent - it's so simple. keep on keepin' on. :)
Thank you for being real with everyone. I think it was a great discussion. May you continue to search out the Merciful One who wants to heal your soul. May you have ears to hear and eyes to see the divine among the ordinary.
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