THOUGHTS BY MEL (and others)

The Bible is not so much like a chain to God as it is like a cable. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A cable uses the sum of a lot of parts to make the whole strong. The Bible's many strands serve to speak to many diverse people, telling each one in a different way what they need to know about God.

The quest for joy is like crossing a river on a log: if we look at our own feet we will probably fall but if we look at others standing on the opposite bank, we will find the ability to cross.

God does not have to choose between the good of the organization and the good of the individual. He can handle both at the same time.

The human race seems to be growing up like an individual person does. God used to tell us what to do, now he gives us the freedom and responsibility to figure it out by ourselves. We seem to be in our early adolescence.

It's broken.

It's my fault that it's broken.

I can't fix it.

What do I do.

The New Age / Unity / Christian Science / Super-spiritual / Freudian answer is to try / buy harder.

God's answer: Since we can't fix it, he will. All he asks is that we swallow our pride, acknowledge that we can't fix it, bow our knee before him and follow.

The human problem is the Copernican Problem: What is the center of the universe? Is it I or is it God?

A person's honest questions need to be answered if possible but, ultimately, that person must decide to trust God and bow their knee. The wonder is that God then raises them up and says "you are not a slave, you are my child."

The Kingdom of God has no commoners, every person is a prince or princess. We are all allowed to stand in the presence of the king. We can speak to the king without an appointment.

The Bible will not let me down. It is God's message for me in the way God wants me to have it.

Faith rests on three legs: the objective evidence of the Bible and nature, the witness of God through people that we trust and the witness of God directly to our own self. They are all important and probably all necessary.

I believe that Alfred S. White Jr. is my physical father because he has told me so, because my mother has told me so and because I have seen my birth certificate. We also have the same ears and nose.

The faith that God requires is like the faith required to drive a car on a two-lane highway. One must trust that the other driver will stay on the other side of the road but a little doubt is allowed if not even encouraged. The world seems to think that our faith is more like driving in a destruction derby and believing that we will not be hit.

There are three steps to belief: I must decide if the facts are true, I must decide if Jesus is trustworthy and I must bow my knee and submit to him.

God will not ravish us, he will only woo us. Earl Palmer

Success can be just as much a god when we are worried about the success of the church. Its success is not our responsibility. It is God's responsibility. Our responsibility is only to be obedient.

There is one way in which being a Christian is like being a citizen of the USA. Either you are or you are not a citizen. You know.

I am often stupid, harmful and unfaithful. God is always wise, healing and faithful. It is not so hard to "believe" in God as it is hard to acknowledge this situation and bow my knee in submission to him.

From Ann Sorley aprox. 1975:

Judging a theology:

How does it address the problem of

sin

redemption

justice and responsibility

what is picture of a better future - just heaven or a

kingdom on earth

How does it fit to what the Bible says

How does it measure up to New Testament commandments to love

the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself

Given in context of South American liberation theology after a trip there.

Let me know your own thoughts: Thoughts@etsdata.com