In The Round D

From Mollie:

Hey all,

Lately I have been reading "The Problem of Pain" by CS Lewis and was affected by this - which he goes on to talk about for several pages...

"By goodness of God we mean nowadays almost exclusively His lovingkindness; and in this we may be right. And by Love, in this context, most of us mean kindness- the desire to see others than the self happy; not happy in this way or in that, but just happy. What would really satisfy us would be a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, 'What does it matter so long as they are contented?' We want, in fact, not so much a Father in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven...Not many people, I admit, would formulate a theology in precisely those terms: but a conception not very different lurks in the backs of many minds. I do not claim to be the exception: I should like very much to live in a universe which was governed on such lines. But since it is abundantly clear that I don't. God is Love, I conclude that my conception of love needs correction." (pg 30,40, Lewis)

Sometimes it seems to me that love isn't enough in relationships with family, friends, partners. That there is this stark reality of how difficult it is to truly sacrifice or change for God that seems too hard to be love - as if love needs to cover that - or soften it. But that harsher thing - that truth or actuality is love. Is love not what softens but what cuts?

Any thoughts?
:)

In The Round C

From Kara:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/81388/page/1


There was a recent article in Newsweek that really resonated with me, and succinctly put into words one of my personal struggles. The article says that in 2008, the voices of moderates, skeptics and those who do not claim to have all the answers – both among those who believe and those who don’t – will start to become as prominent in the dialog about religion as those who speak out with absolute certainty.

From the article:

“A number of recent and upcoming books showcase voices from Christians and nonbelievers that are intelligent but less strident than the old guard. Both sides seek to elevate the thing they have in common: doubt. In a fragile world, a confession of uncertainty is especially grave.”

My first reaction is a huge sigh of relief. I’m constantly dumbfounded at the level of conviction espoused by people who hold beliefs that I find to be completely ridiculous. I’ve come to realize, however, that is isn’t necesarrily the beliefs that amaze me, but it’s the absolute certainty in these beliefs that people have. One of the definitions for faith is “belief that is not based on proof.” I think this is one of the wonderful things about faith. It takes more effort, thought and self-reflection to believe in something you can’t prove than something you can. The element of the unknown makes having faith a personal decision. It makes faith part of a relationship with Christ, and not just a matter of facts and figures. If your faith, by definition, is not based on proof, no matter how much you believe, how can anyone possibly be completely sure that her beliefs are right and all others are wrong?

At the same time, I find myself at the complete opposite side of the spectrum. How can you truly believe if there are any doubts? If you really have God and Christ at the center of your life, how can you be anything but certain?

If there’s no room for doubt, what value is there to faith; but if you truly believe, how can you have any room for doubt?

My struggle comes in trying to find some kind of middle ground. As a Christian, I like to think that I fully believe in all the Big Things (http://www.creeds.net/ancient/nicene.htm), but I also understand that there is the possibility that it’s all completely wrong. Some days I feel this understanding validates my faith, proving that I’ve thought of other options, and Faith is what I chose. Others, I feel as though believing that there is any other possibility only sheds light on the weaknesses in my faith.

I don’t know the answer to this, but I’m also not sure there is one. I’m ok with that, because I think questioning your beliefs is one of the best ways to make them stronger. I will never “know” if what I believe is right, but that won’t keep me from believing.

In The Round B

From Jacque:
One thing that I struggle with both inside myself and
within my discussions with others in regards to God is the issue of
"what God is saying" and how we come to believe or "know" what God is
saying.

"Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so..." The creator
of this tune knew that (s)he was loved because the Bible provided such
knowledge. I, however, learned that Jesus loved me because adults at
church kept teaching this song. It never occurred to me that I should
double check in the Bible to be sure. Either way, we both come to
know that we are loved and carry that message with us to be brought
out whenever we need reminding.

I do not "know", but I do believe that these messages are the Holy
Spirit within me. And when I am needing that Holy Spirit to remind me
of important things that God wants from me/ for me I think it breaks
through some barriers and gives me a message that I might actually,
consciously recognize. I'm not so sure *that* is in the Bible, but its
a part of my faith in God's promise to me in baptism.

These things that I hear are often tied to music or sounds of nature.
Maybe because my gifts lie in the appreciation and respect for those
tools and creations in life and therefore, I am ready and able to hear
and use the important messages for the good of myself and the creation
around me. I am sure that others have custom made message delivery
systems in place to meet their needs based on their gifts and
abilities. For example, my friend is very dedicated to memorizing her
Bible verses and that skill serves her well in that she has verses
surface in her mind that apply to the situation she is in need of
addressing. I admit that I have a much harder time actually listening
to scripture, which many argue to be our link to understanding God's
desires for us. I do not know that I disagree with this sentiment,
but I am afraid that such people who stick to that gun will use it to
shoot either me or themselves in judgment or righteousness should they
discover that I am perhaps listening to a song stored in my memory or
the wind blowing through the trees.

I do not get into much of the differences between denominations, but I
have been reminded multiple times that currently the United Church of
Christ (UCC) has adopted a slogan: "God is still speaking." I love this concept (assuming that it means what I think it means), because it says to me that God didn't pass
along knowledge to prophets and apostles for a few thousand years and
then suddenly shut up and leave us to figure it all out on our own.
It excites me to think that if God wants to claim me, then God will
come and find me and tell me that I belong through whatever means
possible to seal the deal.

In The Round A

From Adam:
Wait! Be patient. God has a plan for your life, and He will unveil it as He sees fit.

I have to constantly remind myself of this. I have a hard time being patient and waiting for God to reveal his plan in my life. I find myself making plans for my future, and then He tells me: no Adam that's not what I have planned for you. He completely obliterates the plans that I made without consulting him or made while ignoring his direction for my life. At first it is frustrating to have my plans completely destroyed, but as I move on and pray I realize that I was not living my life for God, but I was living for myself and worldly things. I try not to live for worldly pleasures and live for God, but as a human I know I am fallible. So, I have learned to pray for God's guidance and direction in my life, and I ask for patience to wait for him to reveal his plan. He always does...just along His time line, not mine.

In The Round

I recently got the opportunity to go down to Nashville to visit a good friend and catch a concert by an amazing singer-songwriter, Andrew Peterson. It was his annual Christmas tour, Behold The Lamb Of God, and I had wanted to go for a long time. The concert was incredible and one of the coolest parts was that while the second half of the show was the story of the birth of Jesus told uninterrupted in song, the first half consisted of the whole bunch of musicians playing "in the round." I think that was the first time I heard that term, but it makes sense. Most of the musicians got up and did a little solo ditty-sometimes backed up by a couple of the others and then it was passed on to the next. I think it's a really cool idea of a way to do a concert--It sounds like it's one of those typical Nashvagan things. Here's an attempt at doing the same thing without the melody. I asked a few people who've been involved with QuarterLife to share a couple thoughts whether it's something that they've been learning lately or what feels like the theme for their life. Hopefully what you see is a bit of a snapshot into the life or heart of a young adult.