A New Direction

My last post was one part informational, one part serious, and one part humorous. Of course, I wanted to update you on my life, but the other two parts work together to show something I really don't understand: the seemingly mystical ways God works in my life. In the recent past I have turned my back on such spiritual symbolism finding that we usually twist whatever situations we find ourselves in to fit our previously inclined perspective. It makes complete sense being that we do the same with Scripture. Even followers of Christ unknowingly align themselves with the unbelieving, "who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." Indeed, I do the same. However, as easy as it is for our hearts to exchange the truth of God for a lie, He sometimes makes things exceedingly clear through mystical ways.

Soon after arriving in Bloomington on Thursday I took some time to read Psalm 58 as a part of my scheduled reading plan. I have often wondered how the righteous in Christ will respond when death is defeated and the wicked are cast into eternal fire. The end of this psalm in verse 10 makes it pretty clear that "the righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked." Now I wanted to be certain about this because to some it may be "lacking in compassion" or "completely unloving" to rejoice over just condemnation. The saints' feet drenched in blood was a strong picture so I decided to search "blood" in Revelation and here's what I found:

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a ro d of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:11-16

As I read over this passage I was struck with fear and trembled before God Almighty. I bowed prostrate in prayer before Him asking that He would save me from the wrath to come and keep me until the day of His coming.

He is coming.

Later that evening I went to Cru, Campus Crusade for Christ's weekly meeting, to hear Roger Hershey speak. I should have known better. Anyone who's heard of Roger knows he loves to speak on the exalted Christ. Sure enough, Revelation 19:11-16 was his primary text. If you didn't get it earlier, this is what I mean by God's mystical (read spiritually symbolic) ways.

But this wasn't the only instance. The church I'm attending has a men's group that meets every Saturday morning called David's Mighty Men. The topic this past weekend was "Fathers Raising Daughters." It was entirely good exhortation, but then at the end something was said that caught me off guard: Old Testament Law held that if a woman in her youth living with her father made a vow to the Lord, her father was able to forbid her to keep it. This was said within the context of the how a father protects his daughter(s). Then I thought to myself, I wonder if I’ll come across this in my daily reading or something like a few days ago. Of course, I was seriously questioning if that could actually happen, but still had the childlike wonder that it might. Later in the afternoon I flipped my Bible open to continue my scheduled reading in Numbers 29-30. Sure enough, as I turned the page “Women and Vows” titled a section in chapter 30 that prescribes how fathers and husbands are able to break the vows their respective daughters and wives make to the Lord. But what was I to learn from this? I'm neither a husband or a father, nor am I a young woman. I don't yet know, but it's certainly something I'm storing up. Right now I can only see God's sovereign hand faithfully working through my commitment to His Word.

As I said at the beginning, I certainly marvel at how God works out these circumstances to make His Word clear. I don't fully understand it, but here’s my best attempt to: In a variety of ways God aligns the circumstances of our lives to find common cause in sanctifying us. He brings people, places, and resources together in His timing as He sees best. In short, He works all things according to the counsel of His will and sometimes we see it happen right before our eyes.

And yes, mysticality is a real word.

It is official. I am once again a resident of Bloomington, IN, home of the beautiful Indiana University. I have moved in with a long-time friend and old roommate whose music you should check out on Myspace, Dan Reisen. We're sharing a single bedroom apartment off of 17th Street, I've adopted a cat named, "Dude," and my filing cabinet doubles as a sock drawer. I'm sleeping on the couch until I get a sleeper sofa down here in a week or so. Hopefully. But all in all, it's good to be back in Bloomington. Somehow for me the place and people are still so familiar... but on to more important things.

I often find joy in symbolism and sometimes the pieces of your life fall together. I have been reading a phenomenal book about manhood by Elisabeth Elliot called, "The Mark of Man". After getting about halfway through the book it hit me that the best book about manhood I've come across is written by a woman. Now, nothing against women, but I would have thought, and hoped, that a man would be one to best express (in words) and clarify masculinity. I guess having a close, yet "outside perspective" certainly sheds much light. Anyways, this book has been very personally challenging and every, I mean every, young man should heavily weigh what Mrs. Elliot has written. The book is comprised of 44 short chapters and I've been reading one each night. Well, interestingly enough, the first night in my new home was also the night I was to finish the book. It kind of seemed like a send off to live what I’ve read. I'm putting new roots down, and maturing as a man is one of my main goals as it relates to starting life in Bloomington. Symbolic Piece #1.

Now the final chapter was titled, "When You Don't Understand Her" where Mrs. Elliot began by drawing out all of God's ways in nature that we don't understand. Like how the Lord says, "Thus far shall you come and no farther" to the ocean's tide and how sea turtles know exactly where to dig in the warm sand to lay their eggs. She reminded her nephew, Pete, who the book was written to, that God's ways are beyond us and we marvel at them. In the same way, she urged that men have the same response to the wonderful mystery that is a woman. This was a pretty clear admonishment, but if you're a prideful man like myself you tend to mock and belittle that which you don't understand. As I put the book down I saw Dude, who to me is one of the most foolish creatures on planet earth, especially when he decides to make my stomach his place of rest in the middle of the night. But I realized that how I choose to treat this feline I do not understand is representative of how I will treat anyone I don't understand, more specifically a woman who bears God’s image in a way I cannot. So Symbolic Piece #2 is my attitude towards and treatment of Dude, my adopted furball.

What? It's a pet name...