An interesting point Willard makes in HG (not going to cite at the moment because I don't have the book in the room with me, but I'm sure it will come up again) - he says that to believe that God no longer speaks to us in the ways in which he spoke to folks in the Bible is to not believe that God is who He says He is. Early in my reading, I have found myself thinking that he would confirm my idea (and one shared by many that I've spoken to on the subject) - that God no longer uses the methods found in scripture to speak to His people. I went through this elaborate logic path to basically conclude that the presence of scripture and the Holy Spirit are sufficient for this day and age and that the presence of angels and visions and dreams are unheard of today.
I find that in my heart I harbor a great spirit of skepticism, and I realize that some of this has to do with that idea I shouldn't have and don't want to have, that I know it all. It is all too easy for me to assume that I can reason out the modern times and what I know of church history and of theology and conclude that the God of the Bible is not exactly the same today as He was then. Willard would retort that this is a blasphemous thought. If God gave us scripture as our guidelines for living (and this is what we say we believe), then we must believe that who He is in scripture is who He is today. And if who He is has not changed, then the way He relates to us has not changed.
This is a fascinating thought that I want to continue to revisit and to search out for myself, because if it is true - if God still speaks to His people through angels and His voice and visions and dreams - then this opens up the possibility that anyone (myself included) can have REAL conversation with God. And Willard says this is exactly what God wants. And in my heart that seems to be true - conversation is essential to any relationship.
Anyway, that thought excited me in the midst of some really intellectual stuff about space and time and physics, so I thought I would point out the bit that I understood... (I think)
Monday, February 05, 2007
Friday, February 02, 2007
Recovering from my Biases
"If we give primacy to forms of communication that God does not on the whole prefer in relation to his children, that will hinder our understanding of and cooperation with his voice" (HG, 27).
Something I did not consider in my initial response to Ch. 1 was the fact that I was probably allowing my own biases to completely shape my approach to the idea of Hearing God. As I have continued to read, I have been confronted with the fact that God is always speaking - but I am not always listening. I am noticing that the problem is me, not God. That often my motives for wanting to hear God are selfish and impure. And often I approach God with a spirit that has it all figured out. I assume too much - God is "supposed" to act in this way. I almost tend to go to Him with the idea that He is only there to confirm what I have already figured out for myself. How arrogant of me to assume that I know the mind of God! Or perhaps it's not that I KNOW what I want Him to say, it's that I WANT to hear a specific something so much, that I tune out His true word. Ever the skeptic, I am the child that comes to ask my father for bread, all the while expecting to receive a stone.
Willard does confront the issue later in the book that the fundamental issue at the heart of hearing God is a matter of what we believe about God. If our view of God is skewed, we will never hear Him. This makes me think of Jesus' time, when everyone was looking for the Messiah to be a valiant warrior and someone who would overthrow the government. They totally missed the One that God sent. Now I am having to confront the erroneous ways in which I view God. And trust me, there are a lot of mixed messages swimming around my head...
Something I did not consider in my initial response to Ch. 1 was the fact that I was probably allowing my own biases to completely shape my approach to the idea of Hearing God. As I have continued to read, I have been confronted with the fact that God is always speaking - but I am not always listening. I am noticing that the problem is me, not God. That often my motives for wanting to hear God are selfish and impure. And often I approach God with a spirit that has it all figured out. I assume too much - God is "supposed" to act in this way. I almost tend to go to Him with the idea that He is only there to confirm what I have already figured out for myself. How arrogant of me to assume that I know the mind of God! Or perhaps it's not that I KNOW what I want Him to say, it's that I WANT to hear a specific something so much, that I tune out His true word. Ever the skeptic, I am the child that comes to ask my father for bread, all the while expecting to receive a stone.
Willard does confront the issue later in the book that the fundamental issue at the heart of hearing God is a matter of what we believe about God. If our view of God is skewed, we will never hear Him. This makes me think of Jesus' time, when everyone was looking for the Messiah to be a valiant warrior and someone who would overthrow the government. They totally missed the One that God sent. Now I am having to confront the erroneous ways in which I view God. And trust me, there are a lot of mixed messages swimming around my head...
Friday, January 26, 2007
Friday is the New Saturday
I am absolutely LOVING my new job. One of the many perks is the fact that for me, Friday is the new Saturday. Consider this morning. It's about 7:30 AM. I've been up for 30 minutes, saw my husband off to work, and now I'm sitting in my pajamas with a piece of lemon cake for breakfast trying to figure out if I should clean first and play second or the other way around.
Because of the wonderful amount of time I have left over each day, I can take the time to cook as much as I would like to, keep the house clean, walk the dogs daily, and even have a social calendar. For the first time in our marriage, Geoff and I are actually making plans regularly to fill our weekends and a few evenings a week. We're going to church AND Sunday School, and we're not feeling like there's not enough time to keep everything managed. I can keep the house in good order so that Geoff can have enough energy and free time to go and ride bikes with his friends or take on a few extra computer jobs for a little extra income.
Sure, we're not making NEARLY what we did before, but our lives are easier for it. It's not just the hours I love, though. My coworkers are awesome, and I'm really enjoying all I'm learning about the world of financial planning. I'm looking forward to pursuing some certification training and really getting my hands on all that I can to help my team and to implement a lot of this for myself.
Anyway, for those of you checking in, I thought I would update a little on this more personal level, since Mom and I have pretty much been using my blog for the book study now. I'll try to occasionally post something other than the book.
So have a good Friday!
Because of the wonderful amount of time I have left over each day, I can take the time to cook as much as I would like to, keep the house clean, walk the dogs daily, and even have a social calendar. For the first time in our marriage, Geoff and I are actually making plans regularly to fill our weekends and a few evenings a week. We're going to church AND Sunday School, and we're not feeling like there's not enough time to keep everything managed. I can keep the house in good order so that Geoff can have enough energy and free time to go and ride bikes with his friends or take on a few extra computer jobs for a little extra income.
Sure, we're not making NEARLY what we did before, but our lives are easier for it. It's not just the hours I love, though. My coworkers are awesome, and I'm really enjoying all I'm learning about the world of financial planning. I'm looking forward to pursuing some certification training and really getting my hands on all that I can to help my team and to implement a lot of this for myself.
Anyway, for those of you checking in, I thought I would update a little on this more personal level, since Mom and I have pretty much been using my blog for the book study now. I'll try to occasionally post something other than the book.
So have a good Friday!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
First Thought on Ch. 1
This is my first thought in reading chapter one of HG. I haven't finished the chapter and am doing my best to take it very slowly, so my initial reaction will be more informed later (and therefore may change later) when I finish the chapter and/or the book.
On p 16, Willard says that he comes to recognize a "characteristic thought and impulse" as God's speaking. This seems to me to be in line with what we are taught as Christians to assume that God's voice is, but I feel that this is somewhat dim/disappointing. I am guessing that this "thought and impulse" is supposed to be a deeper form of conversation (like ESP - a direct communication to the brain and/or heart). But supernatural as conversing with God must be, I would expect it would be more satisfying and real than having a human to human conversation.
I think that I know what Willard means by these "thoughts and impulses." I too have had moments where for no deeply held reason, I felt convicted that I should make a certain decision (like choosing to go to Samford over Bham Southern for college); and these are moments of enlightenment that I have attributed to God showing me His will.
But am I wrong to feel that this is not nearly satisfying enough? Is imperfect communication part of God's design - so that we remember to continually yearn for heaven, when we will be in constant communion with God? Going back to God speaking to Moses face to face as a man to his friend, am I wrong to find that far more preferable to some often-inscrutable, but persistent thought or impulse that leads me with no words said?
On p 16, Willard says that he comes to recognize a "characteristic thought and impulse" as God's speaking. This seems to me to be in line with what we are taught as Christians to assume that God's voice is, but I feel that this is somewhat dim/disappointing. I am guessing that this "thought and impulse" is supposed to be a deeper form of conversation (like ESP - a direct communication to the brain and/or heart). But supernatural as conversing with God must be, I would expect it would be more satisfying and real than having a human to human conversation.
I think that I know what Willard means by these "thoughts and impulses." I too have had moments where for no deeply held reason, I felt convicted that I should make a certain decision (like choosing to go to Samford over Bham Southern for college); and these are moments of enlightenment that I have attributed to God showing me His will.
But am I wrong to feel that this is not nearly satisfying enough? Is imperfect communication part of God's design - so that we remember to continually yearn for heaven, when we will be in constant communion with God? Going back to God speaking to Moses face to face as a man to his friend, am I wrong to find that far more preferable to some often-inscrutable, but persistent thought or impulse that leads me with no words said?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Preface - the Premise of Friendship
I read the Preface of Hearing God (HG) last night, and was struck by a certain premise on which Willard is basing his book - that ultimately we are created specifically to have a relationship with God (10). I don't think that this is something that I often overlook, but I think what I do often miss is the TYPE of relationship God designed this to be. I often think of my relationship to God as one either of parent/child or of master/servant. While this is not an erroneous view of that relationship, it can lead to an erroneous view of what God wants from us. I will admit that I tend to look at God as having a "to-do" list for my life. He gives orders; I follow them. But there is a much deeper relationship God seeks to build with men.
Willard focuses in the Preface on the friend/friend nature of the God/man relationship. Note the following passages:
Ex 33:11 - where God speaks with Moses "face to face, as a man speaks to His friend"
Ps 23 - I never really paid attention before to the constant side by side presence of God in this psalm, and this made me realize that I tend to think of God like a distant relation - someone who cares for me but is ultimately far removed from my day to day situation
Going back to the master/servant relationship, Willard notes that even if I were to DO everything God commands explicitly in scripture, I may still not BE the person He wants me to be (11). He follows by citing what I think is a fairly unpopular parable with both the Pharisees and the modern day church - Luke 17:7-10. I would summarize this parable by saying that it is a reminder to us as servants that when we do the will of God, we do only our basic duty, yet we expect to be rewarded as if we have done something above and beyond what we are capable of. It makes me think of writing a C paper and complaining because I wasn't given an A. (Willard says that this parable will be part of the foundation of the entire book).
The final note that I made from my reading last night was Willard's point that merely "doing" actually limits our spiritual growth. I think we as humans seek the easy route to the perfect life, and as Christians we are no different. Give me a checklist of all that I have to do to fix everything. Willard's reminder in the preface is that God wants more from us than obedience. Yes, we have a list of do's and don't's to follow, but these are absolute basics. If we want a true spiritual life, we cannot just DO it, we must learn to also BE it.
I am left with one final question which I technically think is totally unanswerable in this life - why would God choose us as friends?
Willard focuses in the Preface on the friend/friend nature of the God/man relationship. Note the following passages:
Ex 33:11 - where God speaks with Moses "face to face, as a man speaks to His friend"
Ps 23 - I never really paid attention before to the constant side by side presence of God in this psalm, and this made me realize that I tend to think of God like a distant relation - someone who cares for me but is ultimately far removed from my day to day situation
Going back to the master/servant relationship, Willard notes that even if I were to DO everything God commands explicitly in scripture, I may still not BE the person He wants me to be (11). He follows by citing what I think is a fairly unpopular parable with both the Pharisees and the modern day church - Luke 17:7-10. I would summarize this parable by saying that it is a reminder to us as servants that when we do the will of God, we do only our basic duty, yet we expect to be rewarded as if we have done something above and beyond what we are capable of. It makes me think of writing a C paper and complaining because I wasn't given an A. (Willard says that this parable will be part of the foundation of the entire book).
The final note that I made from my reading last night was Willard's point that merely "doing" actually limits our spiritual growth. I think we as humans seek the easy route to the perfect life, and as Christians we are no different. Give me a checklist of all that I have to do to fix everything. Willard's reminder in the preface is that God wants more from us than obedience. Yes, we have a list of do's and don't's to follow, but these are absolute basics. If we want a true spiritual life, we cannot just DO it, we must learn to also BE it.
I am left with one final question which I technically think is totally unanswerable in this life - why would God choose us as friends?
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Developing a Conversational Relationship With God
We (my mom and I) are starting a book study on Dallas Willard's work "Hearing God." The book was originally titled "In Search of Guidance," and it was written to address the following questions:
- How do we hear God's voice?
- How can we be sure that what we think we hear is not our own subconscious?
- What if what God says to us is not clear?
Since mom has the book already, she'll probably go ahead and get started on the discussion, which we will have online on this blog over the next few weeks, months, or however long it takes us to get through this piece. If anyone else has read the work or wants to read along and add comments, feel free.
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