Enough about me. This is for [y]ou.
More on Me Here
e-mail me
What should i Link to?
Archives
Chaos Theory I was thinking how CHAOS leads people to respond in two primarily different ways. On the one hand CHAOS elicits a response or reaction of trying to take or seize control. People want order and they attempt to get it by taking control. Control kills creativity. This is ironic because the only true way to true order is creativity. So the movement is not
Chaos to Control to Order
but
Chaos to Creativity to Order
The former way leads to tyranny. The latter leads to freedom. The former seems easy and is in actuality the essence of temptation. The latter is seems hard and impractical and is the essence of the beautiful. The former works through compliance; the latter through empowerment. In the one obedience is forced; in the other obedience is inspired.
Think about Creation. From Chaos came Creation which became Order.
Now think about the latter religious initiatives of Israel-- at the time of Christ. They faced Chaos in their land. The religious renewal movements sought to seize control in order to establish order. In their minds Messiah would be all about this agenda of control. Then Messiah comes and he turns out not to look like control at all but Creativity. And the amazing thing is that Creativity was bringing forth a new order out of the Chaos-- blind see! lame walk! deaf hear! dead raised! lepers cured! poor hear good news! The True Order--the Kingdom of Heaven-- came through the True Way: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
NOw think about the cross. At the cross, Control arrested and crucified Creativity in the quest for Order and what ensued was ULTIMATE CHAOS-- HUMANITY MURDERS GOD! But . . . . . . .
FROM CHAOS came CREATIVITY and the new order continued. . . . . . and we pray every day
THY KINGDOM COME. THY WILL BE DONE. ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
the real question has to do with leadership-- control or creativity. any thoughts?
photo from CliffView Retreat Center outside Danville, Kentucky
Labels: theology
posted by John David Walt | at 9/28/2005 10:24:00 PM | 7 comments
Friday, September 09, 2005
hidden yet revealed I've been reflecting a good bit lately on Jesus words in Matthew 11 where he says this:
"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
As you may be aware, I work at a theological seminary, where the constant temptation is to aspire to becoming "wise and learned," when I think the goal of theological education is to re-find the posture of little children who are capable of receiving revelation. In a conversation with Bob Mulholland yesterday, one of our New Testament professors, he recalled one of the devotional masters as referring to this as the second niaevete (butchered that spelling but you get it).
My children constantly show me this way. Our youngest, Lily (16 months) has had a nasty ear infection for the past several days. Each night and sometimes spontaneously through the day David and Mary Kathryn will lay hands on her and pray for her to be healed. She seems to be better tonight. We were out on the back porch this evening when Mary Kathryn (3) approached Lily, placed her hand on her forehead and said in a matter of fact tone, "Lily, your faith has made you well!"
It cracked us up. Then we realized she was completely serious with this ministry. We didn't teach her to make such declarations. She has picked it up from our nightly Bible reading. She's inside the Story isn't she.
Labels: theology
posted by John David Walt | at 9/09/2005 07:48:00 PM | 2 comments
Friday, September 02, 2005
brick by brick
the bricks are going on. it is quite a juxtaposition to see images of homes completely destroyed in the papers and look at these pictures of this home being constructed and to remember that none of this bricks and mortar and shingles is the measure of a home after all. Keeps me praying Psalm 127. . . . Unless the Lord builds the house. . . . . . . posted by John David Walt | at 9/02/2005 04:43:00 PM | 2 comments
Today...