So, as I read The Furious Longing of God, he talks about how the greatest thing we can do is love one another. But, what is love? Love (lŭv)
A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness
But, I'm not sure that this is a good definition to look at if we look at John 15:12 Love each other as I have loved you. What about those people we find to be unlovable. Are we supposed to fake our feelings of affection and solicitude? I guess the real problem is whether we are submitting ourselves and abiding in Jesus Christ. When we are abiding we will know we are doing wrong to those who we feel unlovable and if we are abiding we will not feel bad thoughts towards them? Grace? Maybe we do not enjoy being in their presence... Maybe we have to lay down our own selves and look not only to our own interests but also into the interests of others? So, when we do this, lowering ourselves, making others greater than ourselves what do we get? There was a time I was riding back from Nashville with a buddy Nick and another girl that I found to be super annoying. She was talking the whole time, rambling on and on... I remember him buying into it all, I was sitting in the backseat laughing and I could not believe what she was saying... They sounded like all lies to me. Later I sent him a message that said "That was all a load of BS." he replied "I hope not." See, I think he was loving her for who she was no matter whether they were lies or not... I was pissed, I wouldn't have/didn't/don't like the girl. Then I ask myself how was I supposed to be able to like her? Well, I guess the answer is in Jesus. I suppose I am a little turd myself and some people have a super hard time loving me. But, Jesus loved me, and you, and everyone no matter what. This has turned into more of a Grace thing rather than love. Maybe what I'm getting at is that it takes a incredible amount of grace to love someone. When we screw up it's almost expected, when we are screw ups its expected. This hasn't answered my question to what love is, only explained and revealed to myself how much grace is involved in Love.
This is overwhelming to actually think about what love is and try to find words to explain what it is.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
God is love, whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him. 1 John 4:16
Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:4
1 John 4: 7-21 It talks about God's love for us and ours for him and others. Let us love one another, for love comes from God. It talks about how God sent his son that we might live through him. That's a sacrifice, God sacrificed something he loved, to give out more love?... Not that we loved but that he loved us... Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us his spirit. This goes back to the abiding part, if we are living in him we will want to love... We know and rely on the love God has for us... Maybe he is talking about our significance that comes from God, the need of no one else because God has loved us... But, the need for us to love others? maybe that is so we can experience even more love that God has for us. If we put ourselves in his shoes, loving everyone, maybe we can experience more of him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears in not made perfect in love. I feel that I have always been afraid that in love, if I did something, someone wouldn't love me. But I found out that is not true, this goes back to the part about grace. There is so much grace in love and love in grace. It's a wild concept to me. Whoever loves God must also love his brother. I believe I am one to try to get around this, by only loving some of those brothers of mine. The rest I am kind to while in person, but do not particularly like being around. But, I have noticed change in that recently. Which is something I have been very intentional about, as I feel it is important.
I am still pretty sure I have not yet found out exactly what love is but i have an idea and continue to work on that. I know that it is not only what I used to think it was, it still may be some of those things. But, I realize now that it is not solely those few things and that there is so much more to it!
William Nathan Dale
(sorry for this entry being more of a journal and less of a ughh, actually it's my blog, I'll write about whatever I want to...) But seriously thanks for taking time to read about how I feel, think and believe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvJO6W7MFMI
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Dulcinea
This morning I read a chapter out of Brennan Manning's The Furious Longing of God. The chapter i read was entitled "healing." I thought what in the world is this about, healing... and so forth. My boy Brennan is a Grace man, he's all about grace and loving people as they are not who they should be or who we want them to be or who God wants them to be. So, this chapter was not about physical healing but about inner healing.
Finally brethen, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. - Phil 4:8 I'm not sure if what Brennan is trying to say is look at these things in people or do these things for others...
He talks about how Jesus went out for Zacchaeus, a man who the whole community had turned their backs on and said no way. But, Jesus went out there befriended and ate dinner with this man. Jesus loved this man who was hardened by everyone else and let him live again.
John 13:35 is probably one of Brennan's favorite verses. 34."A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." He like's to talk about how the world will not know we are disciples of Christ because we go to church, sing songs and so forth. But, they will know in the way we treat others. Brennan goes on to say we'll be identified as His by one sign only: "The deep and delicate respect for one another, the cordial love impregnated with reverence for the sacred dimension of the human personality because of the mysterious substitution of Christ for the Christian.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. -Galatians 5:6
Love one another as I've loved you. - John 15:12
He goes on to say those who are closest to the heart of the father, the most Christlike. Are not the one's who memorize the most scripture, not the pastor.... He also says it's not the one who spends the most time in prayer. I believe this is him talking about solely prayer, sitting down focusing solely on prayer. Then he goes back to say its faith expressing itself through love is what truly counts and matters.
He then goes on to tell a story of a lame young man, he was a dirty hippie in a college class. He had a terrible self esteem... One day some of his fathers co workers were making fun of him. He reached down kissed him, told him how much he loved him and said if he was alive 200 years there would not be enough time to thank God for the blessing of him. Well, this changed this young mans view of himself. He could not see himself through himself and Brennan talks about how this young man finally could see who he was after his father healed him. Thus healing, I had never thought about it like that, as in healing. But, it does make plenty of sense to me now.
He then challenges us to invite someone into our lives that would be like Zaccheus. And how someone's life can be changed by the touch of love. Just as Larry the hippie's life was changed, he later went on to become an ordained priest and so forth....
The last little part of the chapter was about a lady in a play Man of La mancha . Aldonsa was a trollop, promiscuous woman. She had slept with every man in prison.... She was full of guilt and selfhatred. Don Quixote comes over and befriends her, and begins to tell her how wonderful she is.... He then calls her Dulcinea meaning my sweet little one. He describes "her name is Dulcinea, her country El Toboso, a village of La Mancha, her rank must be at least that of a princess, since she is my queen and lady, and her beauty superhuman, since all the impossible and fanciful attributes of beauty which the poets apply to their ladies are verified in her; for her hairs are gold, her forehead Elysian fields, her eyebrows rainbows, her eyes suns, her cheeks roses, her lips coral, her teeth pearls, her neck alabaster, her bosom marble, her hands ivory, her fairness snow, and what modesty conceals from sight such, I think and imagine, as rational reflection can only extol, not compare." She cannot handle it she yells at him out of self hatred tells him she's only a whore... This goes back and forth several times, then she begins to realize as Don Quixote tells her the past is over and done. That he love's her deeply.... Then she agrees that her name is no longer Aldonsa, it is Dulcinea.
With all this being said I believe Brennan wants this book to be used for someone already rooted in the faith at least a little. To know that we cannot do this on our own. And that it is Christ that allows us to touch others and it is merely not our own works.
William Nathan Dale
Finally brethen, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. - Phil 4:8 I'm not sure if what Brennan is trying to say is look at these things in people or do these things for others...
He talks about how Jesus went out for Zacchaeus, a man who the whole community had turned their backs on and said no way. But, Jesus went out there befriended and ate dinner with this man. Jesus loved this man who was hardened by everyone else and let him live again.
John 13:35 is probably one of Brennan's favorite verses. 34."A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." He like's to talk about how the world will not know we are disciples of Christ because we go to church, sing songs and so forth. But, they will know in the way we treat others. Brennan goes on to say we'll be identified as His by one sign only: "The deep and delicate respect for one another, the cordial love impregnated with reverence for the sacred dimension of the human personality because of the mysterious substitution of Christ for the Christian.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. -Galatians 5:6
Love one another as I've loved you. - John 15:12
He goes on to say those who are closest to the heart of the father, the most Christlike. Are not the one's who memorize the most scripture, not the pastor.... He also says it's not the one who spends the most time in prayer. I believe this is him talking about solely prayer, sitting down focusing solely on prayer. Then he goes back to say its faith expressing itself through love is what truly counts and matters.
He then goes on to tell a story of a lame young man, he was a dirty hippie in a college class. He had a terrible self esteem... One day some of his fathers co workers were making fun of him. He reached down kissed him, told him how much he loved him and said if he was alive 200 years there would not be enough time to thank God for the blessing of him. Well, this changed this young mans view of himself. He could not see himself through himself and Brennan talks about how this young man finally could see who he was after his father healed him. Thus healing, I had never thought about it like that, as in healing. But, it does make plenty of sense to me now.
He then challenges us to invite someone into our lives that would be like Zaccheus. And how someone's life can be changed by the touch of love. Just as Larry the hippie's life was changed, he later went on to become an ordained priest and so forth....
The last little part of the chapter was about a lady in a play Man of La mancha . Aldonsa was a trollop, promiscuous woman. She had slept with every man in prison.... She was full of guilt and selfhatred. Don Quixote comes over and befriends her, and begins to tell her how wonderful she is.... He then calls her Dulcinea meaning my sweet little one. He describes "her name is Dulcinea, her country El Toboso, a village of La Mancha, her rank must be at least that of a princess, since she is my queen and lady, and her beauty superhuman, since all the impossible and fanciful attributes of beauty which the poets apply to their ladies are verified in her; for her hairs are gold, her forehead Elysian fields, her eyebrows rainbows, her eyes suns, her cheeks roses, her lips coral, her teeth pearls, her neck alabaster, her bosom marble, her hands ivory, her fairness snow, and what modesty conceals from sight such, I think and imagine, as rational reflection can only extol, not compare." She cannot handle it she yells at him out of self hatred tells him she's only a whore... This goes back and forth several times, then she begins to realize as Don Quixote tells her the past is over and done. That he love's her deeply.... Then she agrees that her name is no longer Aldonsa, it is Dulcinea.
With all this being said I believe Brennan wants this book to be used for someone already rooted in the faith at least a little. To know that we cannot do this on our own. And that it is Christ that allows us to touch others and it is merely not our own works.
William Nathan Dale
Monday, June 21, 2010
Quia amasti me, fecisti me amabilem.
Recently life for me has been good. It's been a great summer so far just growing and actually learning and pushing forth without some program or anything other than just God and my desire to know him more. Like I said I've read a couple books and have been consistent with waking up and having a quiet time before my day starts off (most of the time it's around 10am anyways) But, then after that is when I really get going. This morning i read some a chapter out of The Furious Longing of God. The chapter was called unplanned moment of prayer. He was really just talking about how much we are loved, and how its unconditional and we often believe in our heads of that but not in our hearts. It talks about how we have to live peacefully with our "amazing degree of weakness", gracefully with our "own extreme psychic frailty", Until we let Christ be our truth, the false, fraudulent self motivated by cowardice and fear will continue to distance us from abiding restful union. The previous chapters talked about Union, Abba, our ideas of gods, and the beginning.
So far I have really enjoyed this book, it makes me ponder upon many ideas. Although, sometimes it is very much of an information overload and I have to go back to reread other things. I guess i'm just not that smart, not!
Quia amasti me, fecisti me amabilem.
(In loving me, you made me lovable.)
It's crazy to think that someone could love us as powerful as God. He loves us unconditionally, which is nothing that one could grasp, i do not believe. What is even more crazy is the fact that he would want to love us. I have nothing that I am able to offer him that he doesn't already have or couldn't get otherwheres. It is fascinating.
I do not like when people start prayer "Daddy" instead of Father, or Jesus. I suppose it has a lot to do with jealousy, I want to be that close to have an intimate relationship but, it feels so far away and silly. In this book he challenges the readers over the next month to pray "Abba, I belong to you." I plan on taking this challenge and emerging myself into prayer and leaving myself behind, if that makes any sense.....
So far I have really enjoyed this book, it makes me ponder upon many ideas. Although, sometimes it is very much of an information overload and I have to go back to reread other things. I guess i'm just not that smart, not!
Quia amasti me, fecisti me amabilem.
(In loving me, you made me lovable.)
It's crazy to think that someone could love us as powerful as God. He loves us unconditionally, which is nothing that one could grasp, i do not believe. What is even more crazy is the fact that he would want to love us. I have nothing that I am able to offer him that he doesn't already have or couldn't get otherwheres. It is fascinating.
I do not like when people start prayer "Daddy" instead of Father, or Jesus. I suppose it has a lot to do with jealousy, I want to be that close to have an intimate relationship but, it feels so far away and silly. In this book he challenges the readers over the next month to pray "Abba, I belong to you." I plan on taking this challenge and emerging myself into prayer and leaving myself behind, if that makes any sense.....
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