Fly Me To The Moon

I stumbled upon a quote that has really made me think, in fact, I find myself reading it over and over because there is a real truth that lies within.

QUOTE: "If you examine a butterfly according to the laws of aerodynamics, it shouldn't be able to fly. But the butterfly doesn't know that, so it flies." ~Vincent Eades~

In the west, we have become masters of reduction. We love to tear things apart, study how it works, and reduce it to a set of principles and mathematical equations. In one sense we are programed for this because God has put a sense of curiosity in each of us, but in another sense it serves to take the mystery and wonder out of life.

As believers, I think we sometimes do this in our relationship with Christ. We love to study theology, which is the nature of God, however, when we make the mistake of reducing God down to set of theological principles, we miss the point all together.

Now, I will say that theology has it's place, in that it gives us a foundation and a sense of boundaries that keeps us from veering too far off the beaten path, but what we have to remember is that theology is never the point. It can't be, because God is infinite and our knowledge or theology of him is finite. When we make it the point, we've reduced him down to our level and when that happens, we fail to fly into all that He has for us.

I think so much of our modern day preaching and teaching has this feeling to it. We've all heard it before...if you do a, b, & c, you'll get d, e, & f. Sounds fair enough, but here's my question...who of us really wants to serve a God who is limited to our formulas?

Formulas reduce capital G God down to lowercase g god, and he's not interested in being lowercase g god to you and me, so when we try to reduce him, he messes up our world big time.

When we reduce God we let religion take over, and religion has a way of stealing your wings. However, when we find ourself in true relationship with God, we will fly to greater and greater heights with him.

In Acts 17:28 Paul says "It's in him we live and move and have our being." It's in him, not our knowledge of him or our formulas of him, but in him.

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Where Have All the Giants Gone?

I've been thinking about how our paradigms in life change so drastically as a person gets older. For example, my outlook on the world when I was young, was that everything around me was so big. The teens at my church seemed like giants to me when I was little, but when I reached that age myself, I wondered why I didn't feel like one.

I remember visiting a state park in upstate PA when I was around my son's age (10). They had just finished building a dam and we saw it before the reservoir was filled. I can still remember how big that thing was, however I have a feeling if I were to visit it again, it wouldn't be as grandiose as my mind has recorded it.

I have thought about this concept over the years, and flipping through my journal I came across a poem I wrote almost 10 years ago that speaks to this...

Where Have the Giants Gone?

Have you ever wondered where the fantasy has gone
that once ruled our lives?
The giants so big, the rivers so deep,
and the valley's so wide;

As a child I would think
and dream about the time,
when I would go and explore the world
looking for the treasures I would find;

but now I'm "grown", "mature", and "wise"
and reality has come in like the tide;
my childhood dreams, my fantasies,
have since been put aside;

The giants that once were big and strong
are now just very tall men,
the rivers so deep, the valley's so wide
are smaller than they were then.

Oh, where has my childhood gone
with dreams and mysteries untold?
They now live on in my children
as I watch their lives unfold.

As I said, I wrote that almost ten years ago. When I think about it, I realize that my mindset has changed a bit. In fact, as I get older I realize that there are still a great deal of wonder in my life, and sometimes that wonder makes me feel really, really small. I don't look at that in a negative way, but in a positive reality of who God truly is in my life.

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What Do You Hear?

I'm running behind this morning, so I will be quick with this post.

Yesterday in church, a song was sung in which a section of lyrics jumped out and really stuck in my spirit. I've heard the song many times, but for some reason I found myself focusing on them...

"All of my gains now fade away, every crown no longer on display, here in your presence."

These words made me realize how important eternity and the presence of God is to my life here in the present. When I measure my life; my coming and going, my goals and my dreams, I realize how they truly need to be wrapped up in the mission of Christ and anything else is just wood, hay, and stubble.

Are there any songs or quotes that have jumped out and spoken to your heart lately? Click onto my blog and leave a comment. http:ethoughts.tv

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Wonder and Mystery

"Earth is crammed with heaven. Every bush is aflame with the fire of God, but only those who see take off their shoes. The rest just pick the berries." ~Elizabeth Browning~

This is one of my favorite quotes, because it speaks to the fact that wonder and especially the wonder of God is in danger of being lost.

I think too often we are guilty of reducing God down to a set of principles to follow or a formula to enact, and when we do that we become berry pickers, which to me is the height of apathy.

To be honest, I think we reduce God because we want to remain in control and are afraid to truly trust Him with everything. The Bible tells us that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Truly fearing God is leaving the wonder and mystery of Him in tact in our lives.

I want to be a person who allows wonder to have a place in my heart. I don't want to reduce God to a set of principles or formulas because that diminishes who He is and takes away the wonder of His majesty.

Psalms 89:8 says, "O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you."

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A Pure Heart Part 2

At this point in my journey i'm realizing the most important characteristic of a pure heart is a heart that is unassuming. In other words, the less I assume in life, the better off I am. The less I assume the less chance bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness will infiltrate, control, and ruin my life.

This is something that confronts my life on a daily basis. Every day I'm faced with what seems to be inequality, unfairness and simple stupidity that threatens my rights as a good human being. When i'm consumed with all things Steve (an assuming heart) then I see all these things as a direct assult on my happiness and well being. I then go to war, fight for my rights, and hurt everyone who I assumed hurt me first. At the end of the day, i'm standing in the middle of a bloody battlefield with my rights in tact, but my heart more bitter, angry and unforgiving then it was before, this in turn serves to motivate my fight for tomorrow and the next day.

An unassuming heart, however, is pure because it's a heart that isn't about me but about something much greater than me. It's an attitude that transcends self and lives for God and the betterment of humanity, which I believe is our true calling in life. An unassuming heart rejoices when others succeed, cries when they fail, and forgives when they hurt.

This pure heart is a heart that I desire to live with, but it is a heart that is truly hard to come by. An assuming and selfish heart is basic human nature...it comes naturally and at least for myself is easily cultivated. A pure heart on the other hand is much harder because it takes a conscious choice on a daily basis to cultivate. When the choice is made to live in purity, the flip side of things is so much better in the long run. Imagine a life lived without the baggage of bitterness, unforgivenesss and anger.

We often fall into the trap of thinking that this kind of life will come when people start treating us fairly and respectfully, but it won't...because they won't. I realized a long time ago that people are people and you can't control what they do, say or think. I can, however, control how I react to those things and when I react with a pure heart, I will always come out on top.

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