Extra Innings

So, wow. There's been a lot of action on my Spotlight Stage Left post. Because of computer/internet issues, I wasn't able to join the conversation the way I wanted, so maybe we can bring it back and I can maybe clarify a few things, and maybe take it a step further.

First, maybe the spotlight/stage analogy wasn't perfect. Ok, maybe it sucked. I have been thinking more about it, and I guess the point is that all of those names of God reflect more on His people than on God Himself. God is everything. He can meet any need and fill any void. That is truly who He is. We cannot define God, and we can only describe small aspects of Him that become evident to us through the Bible and our experiences. And, Justin, while I totally understand what you are trying to say when you say not to only allow God to be bigger than the failures we experience, really all of these names of God are based on inadequacies. The children of Israel knew that God provides because they had experienced want. David knew that God was his Shepherd because he had been directionless. So really, our experiential knowledge of God is inherently based on shortcomings in our life, whether we are the "shortcomer" or the victim of the shortcoming. Having said that, obviously our knowledge of God is not only experiential. That's almost what we were talking about in the first place. If we limit God only to what we have experienced, we are no better than limiting Him to what the children of Israel experienced.

And now, even further out of the box. What other areas of our Christian life are we doing this to? What about the church? It is described as the bride of Christ, the flock of Christ, and the body of Christ. Now each of those names describe different aspects of the relationship between Christ and the church, but do they define the relationship? What other areas in our Christian life are we letting metaphors and descriptions define the limits of God?

It's not a side effect of the cocaine

Hey,

Sorry I haven't posted in the last week. I have been having computer issues as well as not having internet at my Clyman house yet. I will probably post again tonight, but for now I want to mention some stuff that I have been thinking about during the week.

So, I am getting married this Saturday. I really hadn't been having any issues with commitment or anything, (which should surprise those of you that knew me before Jess) and I really wasn't experiencing too many pre-wedding jitters. I kinda got hit earlier this week though. I was talking to a guy at work, and he was asking me if all the planning stuff was going good. I mentioned that we were taking care of a few issues that had come up, but that the stress was more on Jess than me. Besides, I said, all I have to do is wear a tux and show up. And then it hit me. This is huge. This is a monumentally important day in my life. And I don't know if I'm ready.

So as I kept thinking about it, I realized that no matter what I did, or how long I waited, I would never be ready. Nothing could ever prepare me for this. I wonder if this is the way everybody feels before they get married. But what if this is supposed to be how I'm feeling? What if this is to teach me something? What if this is how God wants me to approach my relationship with Him? Stepping out even though I don't know exactly where I am going, simply because I know that I can't remain where I'm at? Maybe that is one of the things that God meant when He designed marriage to be a symbol of Christ's relationship with the church. Let me know what you think.

Spotlight Stage Left

This morning in church, the sermon was on the third commandment, the one about taking the Lord's name in vain. Sometime during the first few minutes, Pastor mentioned how God has many different names in the Bible. That sent me off on a mental tangent that occupied me for most of the sermon. I was wondering, what if all of the different names of God are less in reference to the characteristics of God and more about how a particular group of people at a particular time related to God. While I am sure that all of the particular characteristics about God are true, is that what we should really be concerned with? Maybe Jehovah Jireh isn't in the Bible just so we know that God can provide--maybe it is there to describe the emotional duress that His people were under at that specific time. Maybe we have been pointing the spotlight at stage left when the meaningful action was taking place on the right next to the curtains.

So the question that left me with was, if the diferent names of God reflect the struggles of His people, what kind of name would God have if I was in the Bible? Would it be God that Forgives? God that Doesn't Stab You In The Back? God that is Always There? God that Doesn't Stereotype? God that is Not Hypocritical? Or God that Cuts Through the Crap? What would your name for God be?