It has been far too long WORDS, I’m sorry for the neglect. Feel free to ignore me in retaliation for as long as you like. I won’t take it personal. I’d like to start this blog with a dialogue from one of my favorite movies. Two guys, just finish having a drink:-
——————————–
Hey, thanks for the beer.

- Yeah, man.

I should find a hotel.

-What?

What?

- A hotel?

Yeah.

- Just ask, man.

What are you talking about?

-Oh, God. Three pitchers of beer and you still can’t ask.

What?

-You called me because you needed a place to stay.

Oh, hey. No, no, no.

- Yes, you did. So just ask.

-Cut the foreplay and just ask, man.

Would… Would that be a problem?

-Is it a problem for you to ask?

Can I stay at your place?

- Yeah.

Thanks.
————————————–

I have currently been confronted with an issue of faith. A brother of mine recently told me he had decided to start praying for something I felt was impossible. Doing the good christian thing I said “well that’s gosh darn great, praise the lord”. Naturally my reaction in my head was “Are you crazy? Why don’t I just ask for a light saber and a giant squid monster and call it a day.”

Two things stood out to me in that statement. One, that he had decided to start, not that he had been praying about it. I don’t typically think about the things I pray for, while not considering ‘is this God’s will, and if it is why did it take me so long to ask in the first place?’ Have I considered I could be asking for a bird losing it’s wings when I ask for my own?

Secondly the fact that he was going to be petitioning something that should be considered nothing short of miraculous; good ol’ divine intervention. The faith I had as a child that would tell you in a heartbeat that God saved daniel from the lions, or turned water into wine has long been dead now, not because God is any less faithful, but I (think I) know too much. I blame the history channel on that; all their “could-the-exodus-actually-be-real” and “finally-the-mystery-of-that-one-miracle-in-the-bible-no-one-likes-to-talk-about-cause-it-confronts-scientific-thinking-revealedblahblahblah” shows. Fascinating as they may be, it sets my mind into a materialist corkscrew. I’m so distracted with the ‘hows’ that I overlook the ‘cans’ and ‘wills’. Maybe the reason I rationalize what to ask for and what to just suck up is because I think too much. I assume God’s just like me, rolling my eyes saying “ok, but I won’t be here to bail you out…..oh who am I kidding, of course I will” and getting the short end of the stick the whole time, like God’s strength or power (or even desire) arent enough to handle my little problems.

Behold the smartest termite in the world!

I’ll break this down:
If I as a christian believe in an omnipotent creator, one who (in theory) controls the tide, feeds the sparrow and sent a god-man to earth to pay my tab, why is it hard for me to ask for the impossible? Is my request less possible than creating the Leviathan or designing an immune system? Why would I hesitate to ask God to intervene in my family when He is the author of all that is good? My answer right now is faith. It was faith that drove Moses to lead the jews and jewettes into the wilderness. Would he have put off asking God for direction because he doubted his petition would be acquiesced? Doubt it.

I’m not sure this entirely makes sense, because it sounds like I want to not question anything. It’s more like I want to question everything, but there are some things that proof won’t make any more real for me. I will still question God’s promises to me and deny him the prayers He deserves and wants to answer until I have believe the things I ask for, in things unseen. Faith in miracles is faith in miracles. There’s only so much meddling God’s going to do without saying “ok look, I made a world, wrote a book, sent a son, made your parents chromosomes match up perfectly to make who you are, what more do you need? Just ask.”

Anyhow, that’s where I’m at, trying to muster up the strength and faith my brother has to pray for a miracle. Feeling like I’m due for one.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND……..

~wrestleswithGod

CURRENTLY READING: Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton, LISTENING: Industry Giants by Superdrag, WATCHING: the Watchmen Motion Comics

I have been asked several times since the new year what my resolutions are. I keep saying that I don’t really have any, besides reminders to get in shape, eat better, smoke less, read more, ect. Speaking of reading, I have been doing a lot of that recently and realizing how much I don’t know, especially about theology, anyone that knows me knows that’s pretty important to me. I have a grasp on what my core spiritual values are, but I have a whole list of issues that I’d like to have a solid dogma about. I think I’m pretty good about being comfortable with being ‘wrong’ but there are some things I’d at least like to explore before I commit to my wrongness. Here’s a short list:
-creationism and the implications thereof
-pacifism/war
-the quakers
-the sacredness of Hell
-Revelation
-homosexuality & issue 8
-vigilanteism/ethics/batman

~wrestleswithGod