It’s been a strange re-entry to Ukraine after our recent trip to North America. Part of it has to do with not having water and not really feeling ‘home’ , but part of it also is a sense that the Lord is truly developing some things around us, and we’re beginning to ask longer term questions about our role, how we can stay agile to the work of the Spirit, not get in the way, and also position ourselves for whatever is next. I sense a season might be coming where I enter the ‘workforce’ again – whether that is with RazomGo and our platform, perhaps with government /NGO opportunities I foresee (leadership development, and consulting work), or perhaps once I’m finished Fuller next summer a break, or season of writing. I’ve been buried in the first 4 centuries of early church development, doctrine, and reading/writing on themes I never imagined I would be, and more surprisingly really loving it!
In any case, it’s an interesting season to be watching things and people grow, and appreciating life through new lens and perspective. Maybe I’m growing up. 🙂 Do we ever grow up? Should we?
If you are interested in some early church writing, here’s a short paper I wrote on Cyril of Alexandria, and his interaction with Nestorius of Constantinople. I don’t get too deep into the heresy of Nestorianism, but more the nature of apologetics and developing creeds during time.. and the historical drama surrounding the development of so many of our Christian ideas. History is so cool! Click Here to Read
Thanks for stopping in. I hope you are growing out there, trusting and letting go of all that isn’t worth pursuing. Life is short, a breath in time. I’m thankful for the health issues of the past couple of months. Thank you for praying for me! Although I’m doing much better, I’m very conscious of my mortality and uninterested in pretending, or faking it till I make it. Jesus knows our frame, our inner most being, and we are wise to align ourselves from his point of view. Striving needs to cease, believing the deep, historically rooted and existentially immersive reality of Jesus is our aim. We need a fresh baptism in God’s reality, then cease running from that place, exchanging the satisfying joys of God’s love and nearness for temporal trivialities.
Where is this Christ surrender in our generation? A whole lot of independence. A whole lot of unbelief. Real, authentic Christianity believes that in God, alone, our fullest experience of this life is realized. As Kierkergaard suggested, the most reasonable human act is to leap by faith into discovering true freedom in God. All else is the matrix of group think, blind sheep roaming about, believing they can see. Pseudo Christianity lives from the place that as good as God might be, we need to secure pleasure from other places, and this thing called surrender won’t fully satisfy, so we live on the edge of freedom, never quite diving in.
Is Creator God enough for me? Am I willing to belief His coming in material form reveals His love over me? I’m still learning the love of God, learning how to respond to this life shaping gift. It’s freeing, in every respect, but so such a difficult path!