I’m using Google’s Picasa2, and I made myself a little background I’m liking. You can check it out here and hey, use it if you want. Anyway, it’s from my own pictures and all of them have special significance to me. You have some different options with the program, it’s nice. Soooo….thanks to Mr. James Gottry (no, he’s not British) for the suggestion!

Now, keep on reading and posting comments on grace & Jesus & redemption & denominations.

I’m reposting this (from a few months ago) because I forgot about it, and like this post, and I want some comments people. So, comment already! Isn’t it interesting to look back even a few months and read things you’ve written and see already how your thoughts have grown and are shifting…I can see it when I read this.

So, why do you think there are so many Christian church denominations in the USA? I’m really just thinking about some of the possibilities. I have heard various theories and thoughts, from different viewpoints. But, I’m just wondering what your opinion is, whomever you are. What, for example, regardless of what you believe, would you say if someone asked you this question about denominations?

This summer I read Philip Yancey’s book, “Disappointment with God: Three questions no one asks aloud.” The title sounds shady, but it was one of the best books I have read to date. I have two special moments this book brought into my life, so I’ll share really quickly.

1. I was at a Starbucks, and the gal making my coffee asked me what I was reading, I quickly held it up, not realizing that on my book in huge dark letters was “DISAPPOINTMENT WITH GOD.” Her face immediately shifted into a defensive mode and she started to kind of question me and I felt this weird sensation come over me. Like, I got defensive back. I wanted her to know that I am a firm believer in God, and in reality, the book made me understand Him more. This gal, I’m sure with good intentions, I could tell, was trying to sort of defend God in an “I’m offended that you’re offended with God” way, and I suddenly realized that this is what it feels like to be doubting God and to have someone respond very rigidly to honest searching. It was not a good feeling. I’m thankful for that experience to hopefully keep me more aware of that feeling. Good motivation, and a firm belief in truth are fabulous, wonderful things, but it’s all about the delivery I guess. It helps keep me humble.

2. I went to a Christian book store to look for this Yancey book. And I couldn’t find it, so I went up to the customer service desk, and the guy was looking for it and couldn’t find it, but kept repeating, “I know we have one here somewhere….” And next he stood up, and went walking around the entire store shouting out, “HAS ANYONE SEEN DISAPPOINTMENT WITH GOD? DISAPPOINTMENT WITH GOD? ANYONE??? ANYONE?” I enjoyed that shenanegan. I ended up getting it at Borders and having a really interesting conversation with the sales guy and even had a lunch invitation!

Okay, my point here is that I loved this book. Relating this back to denominations, Yancey talked about how it seems to him that God keeps parts of Himself, well, depending on what you personally feel, sometimes, quite a bit of Himself, kind of “hidden” from humanity so that we develop a deep, seeking passion and faith for Him. I absolutely can see that. Especially after revealing Himself so intimately, openly, obviously, and visibly to the Israelites, and receiving doubt and irritation in return. Yancey said something like, “Maybe this type of relationship didn’t create the love that God so deeply desired from us.” And so He changed the way He interacted with humanity. Firstly in Himself and the Prophets, but then in His son Jesus, and finally through His children, those who believe in Him. So, Yancey I think referenced denominations in this discussion, and how this was also a result of God keeping Himself a beautiful mystery (in my point of view), and vulnerably allowing humanity to seek Him out and not constantly reaching down and correcting and openly intervening. This has left us with some unknowns. And therefore each man can read the same thing and come to slightly different conclusions, leading to denominations and the like.

What do you think?

More thoughts on grace and Christianity to come soon…But for now: 

I have an uneasy feeling that the devil is trying to kill me.

Actually, I’m kind of serious. It’s interesting because I’ve also felt this way before all 3 of my trips to Germany. I’ve almost been in car accidents each time. Once I was driving down Pacific towards 144th and I had to slam on my brakes because of a car suddenly stopping in front of me and I remember looking in my rear view mirror and watching the semi behind me slam on its brakes, almost in slow motion, and skid sideways into the other lane in order to not hit me. I actually thought, “I am going to die.” And I was very calm. That was right before I left. There have been similar instances.

Two nights ago I was driving on Hwy 133, and there was a steady flow of traffic behind me, in front of me, and coming toward me, all going about 65 mph. All I could see were headlights and suddenly I saw something passing through the light and realized that 3 deer were nervously running across the highway…about 25 feet in front of me…going 65 on a busy highway. And….again…I got really calm and swerved into the other lane…fitting perfectly into the space between the last two moving deer. The oncoming traffic had emptied just at that moment, for me to swerve. If it would have been 1/2 second later I would have probably died. There would have been nothing to do but hit a deer head on at 65, or hit the oncoming traffic.

Last night I left Anthony’s house and was on the road, going about 45, when again…something flickered in the oncoming headlights….deer legs. I slammed on the brakes, my car squealed on the cement, and I hit the deer. I HIT IT! Thank God (seriously) that I was down to about 10 mph at that point and the poor deer rolled over, got up, and ran away. I watched him to make sure he was running okay. Ahhh…I just keep thinking about that fear in the deer’s eyes. I hate things like that. Fear in the eyes of someone/thing that doesn’t understand what’s happening. That’s something I can’t handle. Victims. Anyway, my car is fine, I’m fine, and the deer is fine.

It might seem dramatic, but I should have died 2 nights ago, and the deer should have died and I should have been hurt last night. But here I am, like nothing happened. I think there’s more going on than we’d like to admit sometimes, maybe things are a little more serious and there are some battles being waged that we don’t know about or like to think about.

Apparently, I have more to do here.

One of the weirdest things in my entire life just happened to me.

Well, maybe not, but it was close. Read on.

I am sitting here in “my office,” and I needed to scrape some tape off of something, so…I looked around and found a little screwdriver…you know, the type that fits into bigger screwdrivers like some mixed up Russian dolls? Yes, you know the kind. It’s about 3 inches long.

So, I’m scraping….I’m scraping….I’m thinking and singing along with my music…and put down my “screwdriver,” and looked away at the computer for a second or two. And then I looked back.

Sitting in the middle of my desk was, I kid you not, a green and white pill. Green on one side, white on the other. Full of little most likely poisonous white beads inside.

Somehow within 10 seconds, a green and white scary pill made it to my desk right in front of me, between my arms…there’s no one else here…

I had a moment.

I had a moment of several random thoughts, but the winner was probably that God for some reason was trying to tell me to take this pill which would teach me all the wisdom and knowledge that I’ve been asking him for lately. I also had a matrix flashback.

I sat here for a few moments until I looked again at the miniature screwdriver, sitting nonchalantly 6 inches away, and realized that the bottom was missing and the inside was hollow.

Apparently Chuck hides his knowledge pills in his screwdrivers.