The Dangerous Mind

A mind trapped unto itself is a dangerous poison. Amidst all of the gears and screws, pins and plates runs a dark oil that lubricates dark thoughts. And that machine designed to dwell and peruse the deep thoughts of God after him - to chase God down the corridors of brooding and analyzing, computing and reasoning - it falls prey to... itself.



Just as a the gears of a clock serve the ultimate goal of proclaiming the time (in the capacity of the instrument), so too our minds are designed to clearly grasp God so that we will be properly moved to worship.

And yet, this oil remains... In fact, this oil used to be gloriously helpful in our efforts to think well for the glory of God. It lubricated our minds so that gears did not grind together, and brought a spirit of unity to the different processes so that they all worked at peak capacity to present clearly our magnificent God.


When our mind tried to replace its focus on God with itself - just to see what it might be like - that spiritual oil became dark. All of the gears begin to rearrange themselves to tell a different sort of time, and the outcome is friction and nonsense.

Left to itself, our minds are coated with crude. Every aspect of our thinking is affected so that we habitually think poorly and wrongly. What is dangerous about this situation is the bizarre condition which all of us suffer from: denial.

The reason we are in denial is precisely because we are looking at ourselves.

If a mirror could look at itself, what would it see? An endless reflection of mirrors with no substance at the end, nothing to look at.

Series on University

I am writing some copy addressing university students that is slowly morphing into a series. Hopefully it will be helpful. Feel free to drop a comment on things you would like to see addressed in the series!

Freelance Writing

Some of you may be aware that I was laid off from my (promising) position at AWS. Others of you had no idea I even had the job to begin with. It seems God has other plans for me, and I can only surmise that, in the very least, he means to build my character and trust in him.

My return to the job hunt has caused me to reconsider some of the freelance efforts I began in the areas of editing, tutoring and writing. I focused most of my time on the first two, with great results - I have learned a lot! I updated my professional website today to encourage the writing aspect.

Please visit the site, and spread the word. I am always interested in suggestions for places to check out, or networks to get involved in. My main goals at this point are to write consistently and acquire some freelance writing gigs.

Also, if you need writing solutions, or are interested in supporting the ongoing work of my novel Meta Man, send me an e-mail.

How to Blow your Mind

Read Titus 1:1-4 and think about this:

"Eternal life is found in the preached word. You don't find out about life in the word, you find the life itself. This means that preaching is vital, that it is 'life giving'. To ignore the preached word is to ignore life."

MyBrute

All I can say is... wow. MyBrute is funny stuff.

Watch out for my broadsword... Kaswhing!

Jesus

I have started back into work as an irrigation dude for a company in Guelph. It looks like it will be an exciting season, and hopefully, a long one.

Already I have encountered people with lots of questions and comments about Jesus. I am struck by the tangible and blatant evidence of a perspective on Jesus that is generally thought to be widespread: he was a swell guy.

Now, I realize I shouldn't be surprised when I encounter this comment first-hand, again and again - but I am. And the reason is this: If you read any of the records of eye-witness accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John), you find out really quickly that Jesus claims to be much more than a swell guy, and he gets killed for saying so.

Examples (paraphrased):

1.
Jesus: Which good work are you going to stone me for?

Bad Guys: We're not stoning you for your any good works; we're stoning you because you make yourself out to be God.

2.
High Priest: Tell the truth; Are you the Son of God?

Jesus: Yep

High Priest (rips clothes off): We don't need any more witnesses, you have heard for yourselves his blasphemy.

This is only two examples. It is pretty obvious that Jesus claims more than just being a swell guy, or even a good teacher who helped people out. And yet, my co-workers think he was merely another nice leader. Why?

Probably because they haven't read the records of eye-witness testimony. They haven't read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Or they haven't heard it. And how will they hear unless someone opens their mouth and tells them?

They won't.

..using your own voice..

I am sitting here in my office thinking about something which has often crossed my mind. It is the ever-present (and age-old) tension of originality and timelessness bound up in the term "truth". Today, I am exploring a facet of this which I have explored before, but am returning to again. It is what George Herbert agonized over and what C.S. Lewis seemed to do naturally:

How do we give a fresh vision and perspective of the gospel to those around us without merely borrowing the phraseology and mannerisms of others (and thereby not feeling the weight of the vision), or abandoning the truthful proclamation of it in favour of originality?

Conservative brothers and sisters are tempted to the former, and may idolize leaders in the church or their teachings ("I'm of Paul, I'm of Apollos, I'm of Christ..."). This breeds elitism, which is subtle and extremely deadly: death by cold-shoulder is very painful. Liberal brothers and sisters are tempted to the latter, and may idolize the temporal, tangible effects of the gospel (Corinthians, again...), like freedom and equality. This breeds deletism (removal of all distinction), which is not subtle and extremely deadly.

Of course, these descriptions are a touch formulaic - the real situation is thoroughly layered. All Christians are continually being refined; some swing violently across the spectrum from one side to the other, or hop back and forth (tossed by every wind of doctrine). Other people start on one side and never feel the peculiar weight or vices natural to the other side of the spectrum (but perhaps are slow to get to the middle). All Christians, by God's wondrous mercy, will balance out, and often like a fine red-wine: with age.

What does this mean for my initial question then? The fact is, truth has both subjective and objective elements. Gasp! Dear God, what did he say? It's true. The subjective element is the person speaking or conveying the truth; the objective element is the truth conveyed. The substance of truth is never changed, but the mystery is that it cannot be detached from the communication of that truth. How do we know that there is any substance at all? This mystery: The Father begets the Son. The Son is the exact "expression" of God, who is the ultimate truth or substance. Every time God communicates himself to others, it is through his Son. The Holy Spirit reflects and embodies the utter unity of the two. This unity is so intense that it is personal, and this personal being or unity resides in all believers. God is the object, Christ is the subject, and the Spirit is the manner of our Worship.

This is why believers ought to strive to speak with their own voice. Don't worry about what others might think - simply speak and live the truth in the way you know how. All of your life and experiences were crafted so that the truth might be expressed in a unique way through you - like the formulation of a beautiful snowflake around a piece of dust.

So how do you get your own voice? I will be as practical as possible: study the word of God and pray with a seeker's heart. Listen to a wide variety of preaching and teaching from pastors and Christian leaders who elevate Christ. Finally, be mindful of your areas of expression and service. Some might express through the arts (music, painting, writing, etc...) and some might serve behind the scenes. Do it in your own voice and to the glory of God.