Digest #1
I used to share a lot of the content I consume and come across in my Instagram Story, but recently I’ve come to wonder if perhaps this is annoying to people who follow me but aren’t super interested in the areas that I like to think deeply about. So for now I think I’m going to post my thoughts in posts here in my blog so that it’s available for those who are interested, but isn’t constantly popping up in the feeds of those who aren’t interested. 😊
Week 1
Day 4
1. I have loved Jon Foreman’s work since my teen years, but as I’ve grown, I’ve really come to appreciate deeply not only his music, but also the depth of his lyrics. Then when the internet happened, I began to watch interviews, read his written pieces, and have come to appreciate his depth, thoughtfulness and way of seeing and interacting with both God and the world
Today I watched this interview.
He tells this story of being in the card aisle, and from the aisle next to him this voice begins to sing these powerful words:
Show me an athlete who can run fast,
and ask him how he got his speed,
he’ll tell you, I’ve suffered.Show me a writer who has a bold voice,
and ask him how he got that,
he’ll tell you, I’ve suffered.Any culture that makes it their end to avoid pain is doomed
Jon continues with the interview, “Maybe there is something in the chaos, in the dissonance, that is useful.”
God doesn’t need a lawyer. Your job is to be honest. As a believer, when you look back through the scripture, there are parts that - if I was God’s PR team, there are parts that I would take this part out. It doesn’t make anyone look good, and no one needs to read that.
Later he shares about going to a live concert, and due to an electrical storm the power went out. But the musician came on stage and performed acoustic. He continues:
I remember thinking, when I go to a show, or any event, I go to see a hero. When you go to a baseball game, or whatever it is, you go to see a hero be a hero, and I realize that for that to happen, there has to be adversity. There has to be something that goes wrong, and you have to fight for it to be right. . . . In music, you set the stage. You have people who make sure everything is in tune, everything is right. And maybe that denies any possibility of a hero until something goes wrong.
And I find myself thinking - maybe this is life too.
All of us want to participate in these epic, adventure filled lives, where we’re either the hero - or we’re hero adjacent. Maybe we’re not Frodo, but we at least want to be Sam - or one of the other members of the Fellowship of the Ring. But , maybe we spend so much time avoiding adversity, and only in adversity can we actually overcome and triumph. Only in our interactions with adversity can we actually become heroes.
2. This video about what the gospel is is so beautiful Such a great overview. 🥰
3. THIS POST FROM DAVID BENNETT ON BEING A PILGRIM ON EARTH
You know, just briefly returning to the idea that we belong to a different kingdom.
Day 5
2. This video on Paul Vanderklay’s channel about monotheism that the Hebrew Bible presents compared to it’s neighbour’s polytheistic religions.
[In the Hebrew Bible] morality is seen as conforming to the will of God.
God is known not through nature, but through history. He’s known through his actions in the world through historical time and his relationship with a historical people.
3.
Day 6
1. MATT & LAURIE KRIEG: BEFORE WE SWITCH TO AN AFFIRMING WORLDVIEW OF MARRIAGE AND SEXUALITY
Laurie and Matt Krieg do a lot of work in the area of marriage and sexuality. They live in a mixed orientation marriage, and would like anyone who is considering switching to an affirming worldview to think about three specific things, which they share in this short video. I know that in my life, I’ve seen a lot of people - friends, local churches, Christian celebrities - switching to an affirming view of sexuality, and it has been really challenging for me, and maybe I’ll share some of why that has been challenging in the future, but for now I’ve just seen a lot of Laurie’s first point in action.
This point was that it sometimes seems like we’re only being given two options 1. have an affirming worldview and be loving, or 2. hold to a historical Christian worldview and be hateful. She suggests that these are not the only options. That those who hold to a historic worldview can be loving, should be loving, and should work to build communities that allow people to hold to an orthodox view of marriage/sex without being lonely/miserable/without family.
I know that as a single person, this is what I need too. I see the modern idea of marriage and sexuality slip into people’s conversations with me. When they hear that I long to be married but am not, they will often say things like, “Well if you don’t want to be single, just go on more dates”, “you need to be actively pursuing what you want”, “have you tried online dating? Asking your friends to set you up? Singles groups? etc.”. And honestly I’m not innately opposed to any of these (and honestly have tried most of them at some point), but what I am opposed to is that marriage is something for me to obtain. That this is my decision to make, and I get to choose for myself.
Honestly, as a Christian, this just isn’t true.
My life became not my own the moment I gave it to Christ and the work of the kingdom. Paul says that we’re “slaves” to Christ (1 Corinthians 7:22 & 23) - ironically this section of Paul’s letter is all about marriage and singleness and living out the call of God whichever your status. “Keeping God’s commands is what counts,” he says.
Over and over throughout the Bible there is this theme of kingdom and God as sovereign ruler of all. Currently I live in a type of democracy. I have a ton of rights and seem to have the freedom to make decisions. Monarchies, and specifically Theocracies are not this way. As citizens of these kingdoms, you do not have sole reign of your life. The day I chose Christ, I chose his kingdom, and my life is not my own. Whether I remain single for all my years, or marry, this decision is God’s to make. I belong to him. And besides, “this world in its present form is passing away” and one day we will have no need for the metaphor of marriage because we will have what the metaphor points to - union with God.
So before you tell me “to go on more dates” or before you say that a traditional view of marriage is inherently damaging for gay people, please ask yourself “as someone who belongs to God, how can I best encourage the person in front of me in the particular purpose God has for them and their role in the church/kingdom?”
Watch Matt & Laurie’s video here.