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liv4jesus247
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Name: James
Country: United States
State: Florida
Metro: Tampa Bay Area
Birthday: 7/13/1985
Gender: Male
Interests: Music, guitar, soccer, movies, reading, writing music, recording, being with the great and beautiful Hannah Noel Weigel, selling Cutco.
I have a strong belief that people need to learn how to think. If that is a confusing statement, I might be right.
I enjoy John Piper, Andrew Peterson, Derek Webb, CS Lewis, JR Tolkein, etc
Expertise: I sell Cutco--FSM, teach guitar, and tutor kids from public schools
I love music! here's some stuff I like:Caedmons Call, Shane and Shane, Derek Webb, Matt Karny, Bebo Norman, Andrew Peterson (like is much to small of term of endearment), Diane Krall, Nora Jones, Jars of Clay, By the Way--that's us...lol
Occupation: Student
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
12/17/2005
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| My unemployment and boring life has lead me here—Starbucks, on a slow Saturday evening. But it’s good to get away and find solitude once in awhile—if you can call Starbucks Solitude. Thursday I was sitting in this very Starbucks, but hardly alone. With a large group of friends in a corner, we started a lengthy discussion which I will call, “the hand of man and the arm of God.”
Questions
This idea derives from two questions many of us ask of ourselves concerning God and his work in our lives. They are: 1) How can God be in control of all this (sovereignty) and yet be good, just and loving? 2) If God can be ultimately in control of the world, how can we know his “will” for our lives.
Many of us have difficulty simply tackling the thought of God’s existence. Some wrestle with the idea of a God who is actually active and involved in this crazy mess of a world. Yet, I would say that if you could bring yourself to consider both God’s existence and his active hand in the world, you will inevitably be confronted with the the first question: How can God be in control of all this (sovereignty) and yet be good, just and loving?
This has huge implications and could never be solved or proved in a simple facebook note. But I will say this, it takes a careful (and reasonable) balance of study of who God really is and his purpose in the world. It takes a “reasonable belief.” I’m steeling that phrase from my friend Matthew Lilly. It is both an act of deliberate reason and simple faith. I have my opinions and beliefs behind these ideas, but let me get to the second idea of finding “God’s will” for our lives.
People use this phrase, “God’s will,” all the time. Quite frankly, it really confuses things. After my conversation in Starbucks the other night, we stumbled upon an analogy that may be helpfull, yet I’m developing it a little further. It involves the hands of men and the arm of God.
The Hand of Man
The hand of a man, of course, is entirely his. It’s apart of his anatomy and is, reasonably, in his control. This is where we derive our thoughts of man’s free will. Today I had a pint of ice cream in the freezer. I had a choice. Do I obey my primal desires and devour that little carton of supreme, frozen goodness or do I submit to my sensible reasoning conscience that was screaming, “moderation, moderation man!” Unfortunately, logic was no match for primal man…my hands brought about the fruit of my own decision.
The hand of man is in our control, right? Or, is it? It is, but it isn’t. And this, of course, is one of the many mysteries of the faith. God is sovereign, and yet he has given us, technically, a “free” will. While it was my choice to eat my fill of ice cream goodness, it was still entirely in His control.
The Arm of God
This leads us to a major dilemma in our view of God. For we are not just talking about an ice cream glutton, but men and women who are rapists, murders, and pedophiles. If a sovereign God is both good and just, how can he allow any of this?
I believe God to have a strong, sovereign force in the world. I believe God isn’t only in control of the details of our lives but he has a plan for our lives. We can trust God to lead us into his “will” and all he desires for us—the right school, the right person to marry, job or vocation. Right? Yes, but great confusion can come from our semantics involving the words “will” or “desire.” As I sat in the corner of Starbucks Thursday, partly feeling like a religious weirdo debating theology, my friend, Chris, held out his arm. He said, “Is God’s desires for us straight, like my arm? Suggesting when we falter to the left and right with our shortcomings and failures, God’s “desire” or “will” for us remains consistent. Or does “God’s will” (Sovereignty) change along with our choices and failures?
In other words, does God simply wish for us to ‘do’ the right thing and wait for our response, or does he actually play a part in our variance to his desire?Let me suggest a conclusion or solution to this matter. I’ll say right away I would love your thoughts on this, for it is not perfected.
God’s holiness: straight as his arm
God’s desires for us are straight, just as Chris suggested. We call this the Law. The tradition law Christians, Jews and Muslims base their religions upon—found in the Torah. Many would say we can reasonably boil this Law down to the 10 Commandments, yet there is a morality that runs through us all, condemning and proving our depravity. But the arm of man is never straight. Our desires and choices never align entirely with the straight standard of God. It is as if we drive figure eight’s around the straight and narrow standard of God. This is the source of our sin, grounds of God’s fierce judgment and, yet, His means to show rich mercy upon us.
So, what is God’s will for our lives? A Rabbi, named Jesus, said, “Be holy, as I am holy.” God’s will is for us to literally follow his standard of holiness and not vary from it! Of course, this is an impossibility. For no man has ever done it.
This is where the story of redemption comes in, for God has provided a way to both surpass our guiltiness and enter into a life where he actually gives us the ability to follow this standard. This is good news. In fact this is joyous and life changing news. For it brings both joy, incomparable to anything else, and an unavoidable redirection of our lives as we turn our allegiance to Jesus as king.This redirection and life-change takes place by the entrance of the force of God in our lives, we call this the Holy Spirit. Once we learn to align ourselves to that force and become joyful followers of Jesus we literally are in the will of God.
Saint Augustine said, "Love God and do as you please.” | | |
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Hi friends, Thought I'd share with you a find from my friend Matt L. I guess he was browsing around for CS Lewis material online and found this linke to an actuall audio clip of the late Lewis. This may not mean much for you, but it did for him, and me as well. Here is what he wrote: I have at last heard the wonderful voice of C. S. Lewis! I'm enthralled and enraptured, and many other en-words besides. I feel like jumping up and down and shouting! Finally a voice to put to the magnificent words of a man whose works awakened my mind! A voice of reason in a dark time, a time which has begun only once and never has ended since, the voice of a lighthouse in a sea of torment and darkness. Hear for yourselves, friends! | | |
| HopeIs Is there not hope? "Got a little hope in my pocket. gonna share a bit with you. Just be careful that you don't drop it. But don't worry if you do." --Bebo Norman. I never got that song till today. Till a message by Loui Giglio and circumstances that threatened my own world and family. Under the wonderful and terrifying gospel of Jesus, we have hope. HOPEHope in darkness and despair. It is real. Not theoretical. Practical and quenching. True peace--true hope calms us like the summer rain and quenches us like budding spring. Hope | | |
| If I Robbed Him 
...Oh, thank you American new media for keeping our attention. This is a wonderfully pathetic story, but one worth reading. Here is OJ writing another hypothetical book, of some sort, and publishing it out the wazzooooo! http://www.slate.com/id/2174077/?GT1=10436 PSTA stops to get a tax return!
Here is our efficient and always reliable *sarcastic tone* transit system. My dad worked for them for quite a long time. Infact they are quite dear to my heart. I would ride the bus just for fun with my dad, as a kid of course ;) Well, apparently this guy was in a rush to get his taxes worked out at H&R: http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=63113&s=e | | |
|  Dear folks.... Among other things brewing in my life, here is a little positive serendipity that came in through email. Caedmon's new music and Derek joins them for the project as well as the tour. Also, Derek has recently come out with a new album. Exciting Times. Soon I'll write about my Brasil Trip coming up in August. Please pray! New music for Caedmon's Call 
Sweet Deal: http://caedmonscall.com/ Derek Webb http://derekwebb.com 
 
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