My recent series of blog posts have captured a momentum in my spirit. I now sense an overlap within the progression of books over these last 14 years, each meant more for my therapy during this 4th quarter of life, than for any income stream. I stink at self promotion as well!
This morning after writing and during my personal devotions, I felt more prompted than ever to take a risk with my transition toward a more progressive approach to scripture.
If creation itself is progressive, and God, the author of ideation and the source of progress that has kept us alive economically and from killng each other over the ages, well, it all just makes sense at my age. Nothing to lose but my reputation!
As I often do on my Boomer Facebook page, I attempted this morning to elaborate just as publically, as I so often do privately in our back yard cabin with young entrepreneurs. You've likely heard me refer to my Cabin Talks, thus the photo above.
While reading Psalms this a.m. a dialogue began in my mind after multiple times of reading with this very timely verse:
"The days of our years are threescore years and ten; And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, Yet is their strength labour and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
Psalm 90:10 KJV
The Good News is, "we fly away!"
Moses, to whom this Psalm is attributed, all but loses the good news in his desperation!
My point here is that scripture intentionally captures our humanity, so much so, that what its writers have attributed to God, if contrasted with the Christ, especially in the O.T., can almost seem to describe another being. One who demands appeasement, very akin to the idols worshiped in the Pharoahs' camp or in Paul's conversations with the superstitious leaders at Mars Hill.
I am just saying that when taken literally, it then demands such theological positions as drive some of our more harsh doctrines of doom. Doctrines based solely on a legalistic approach to justification, rather than a relationship of grace and love. Per my fifty year journey with scripture, even as stated in the text, God is love!
Apart from an active conversation with the Spirit while reading the text, it can take you to a dark place, one that even a human father would never allow!
Paul in Romans 7:24 emphatically expresses his distrust of the rational mind, "Oh, wretched man that I am!" Speaking of this body of death, knowing the challenges of navigating the text apart from the Spirit, which is Christ in us, the hope of glory!
A few verses down as Moses rebounds, he writes: "And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: And establish thou the work of our hands upon us; Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it."
Psalm 90:17 KJV
A little more Fatherly, don't you think?
Ironically and simultaneously this morning, I was communicating with a former student, one now well matured, who mentioned his rise out of poverty, even after incarceration.
I then sent him a link (see below) to the book that exposes my own family journey.
His response was brilliant, and in a vernacular most revealing of his honest confession. I asked his permission to repost:
"I so agree with that...poverty is what you make of it...NEVER let poverty "do you"..."do poverty" instead...
just like pulling time in prison...NEVER let the time do you...do the time instead...
I know about that too...just don't talk about it much...I was one them kindda folks ya don't look at and say, " you can't do that...."
Well...I showed'm I could and the man in the funny black dress (the Judge) showed me he could too...I learned to turn it around and try to make something positive instead...I lived...I learned...
look at me now...I got 3 kids...2 living...a wonderful wife of over 26 years....
I don't got $$ like Trump...no where close, but in my eyes...I'm the wealthiest man on earth.
Poverty has taught me to look at things from EVERY angle possible...there's a way around everything...it's our choice whether that way is a positive or negative thing....
it's ALL about choices...so many people fail to see that, me thinks!"
DONT YOU LOVE HIS WRITING!!
Amazing wisdom and wow what a win for those who will track behind him!
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23-24 KJV