So, it's christmas, its coming in the next day here, and it is this amazing holiday, so happy and full of joy and cheer. I am home from school for the christmas break and get to see everyone again which is really good, and it is a really nice break. Yet, I come home and I get all this time on my hands, which is good cause as I said in my first blog, it is good to work through all the information crammed into your head in three months at bible school. Yet, still, a lot of time to do.... well... really whatever you want. So I decided to rediscover my love for reading. (as much as you read at bible school, reading a "textbook" is different than leisure reading) So I started reading this book called The Shack, i really recommend it, very interesting thoughts in here. It certainly has challenged a lot of my theology, and beliefs about God, and who God. Not to say that this book is to be mistaken for the bible, but I believe a lot of what is in it does line up with the bible, and makes sense in my head. Anyway, this book was amazing for me, and really for me was a breath of fresh air, and has really helped me answer some questions that I have been fighting through, some pretaining to God's love for me, and just who God is. Not to say that this book got rid of my problems, or helped me to get rid of my problems, but it helped me to see things in a different light, and take things from a different vantage point, which has started to change who I am at the core (I pray).
Yet, there is still a lot of confusion with me right now, pertaining to a lot of things. There is a lot of questioning, and a lot of waiting.... which I am not necessarily fond of. There is still a jumble in my head, and a lot I am wanting God to do in my life, and I have a lot of expectations of myself. I would pray that you would pray for me, as I am trying to work through some things, and through some of this confusion that is going through my head. Right now, I am not the person I want to be... and I think that I still need to grow greatly in many areas of my life. Which really is the joy of life, is growing in it. But I pray that God could show us all where we need to grow, and that we would be open to him working to help us grow in that area. I have come to realize things do not change over night with God. He loves to see the progression, and the little steps turning into bigger steps... it is making the choice each day, and taking time to grow. There is so much from this book The Shack that I could blog about... I think I could go on for days about new discoveries, that God revealed to me through this man's writing, and his friends experience, whether real or not... (you will understand if you read the book) but I think it would all be better if you just read the book, and see God's revelations for yourself.
Christmas is a great time to rest, and put aside the worries that we carry with us, and refocus on God, and the great story of Jesus birth, that changes the world forever. I pray that God could show you something new and exciting in the Christmas story, and that God would be with you this Christmas. Merry Christmas and safe travelling.
Nick Poetker
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
New Ideas!
Well, it's been about three months here at Bethany, and so taking classes and stuff you get a bunch of information shoved into your head. With all this information you start to realize how little you actually know about the bible, and everything that is in it. (at least for me) I came out probably learning 100% more than I knew before. Yet also with this information coming in it is hard to sort through it all and make sense of it all. There is just so much coming at you there is no time to reflect on it and actually understand it, or look at it from your own personalized perspective. There is no time to make it your own, or so it seems. This kind of annoys me, because I think that the point of the bible is the relationship with Jesus, and spending time in his word in order to build your relationship with God. Yet, we get all this information crammed into your head and you get to write a final exam on it, so you get good at memorizing facts, and different words, is there actually time to make it my own? Is there time to choose what I believe out of all of it, is there room to make sense and sort it all out in my head.
I have no problem with the information, but facts are only facts. They are only pieces of information, they are only historical events, or different people's perspectives on different things. Is not the point of Christianity the relationship? Is not the point to make it my own so that I can grow in my relationship with God? That is my goal this holiday season... not to study even more so I can turn myself in even more circles and get more knots for me to work through. But to review and just take it at a slowed perspective so I can start to make it my own, and start to fully understand what I just spent three full months studying. Don't get my wrong I know the facts, but do I believe them? Do I fully understand the significance of the big picture that they represent? Not yet, not fully.... that is the goal the purpose for me, to start to sort through the knots, some of the questions that I have and start to fully realize what the big picture is, what it all means in the context of my life, and how to see it through the lens of me, Nick Poetker. I pray that this process is lead by God, and that I can make sense of some things that are confusing me, and solidify things that are wish-washy.
Nick Poetker
I have no problem with the information, but facts are only facts. They are only pieces of information, they are only historical events, or different people's perspectives on different things. Is not the point of Christianity the relationship? Is not the point to make it my own so that I can grow in my relationship with God? That is my goal this holiday season... not to study even more so I can turn myself in even more circles and get more knots for me to work through. But to review and just take it at a slowed perspective so I can start to make it my own, and start to fully understand what I just spent three full months studying. Don't get my wrong I know the facts, but do I believe them? Do I fully understand the significance of the big picture that they represent? Not yet, not fully.... that is the goal the purpose for me, to start to sort through the knots, some of the questions that I have and start to fully realize what the big picture is, what it all means in the context of my life, and how to see it through the lens of me, Nick Poetker. I pray that this process is lead by God, and that I can make sense of some things that are confusing me, and solidify things that are wish-washy.
Nick Poetker
The Pursuit of... Happyness?
Have you ever pursued something for a long period of time? Ever gone after something/ or pursued a relationship and waited it out for a long period of time, and had the feeling grow stronger and stronger inside. You start to want it more and more as you realize you cannot have it. Then, you finally get what you were chasing and it does not seem so good anymore? I know I have done this many times...
We think this think will make us happy, we think that if we could just obtain this thing, or this person's affection, or even just the friendship, that everything will just resolve itself and everything will just be okay, and then we can be truly happy. I remember a quote from the movie the Pursuit of Happyness,
"It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?" - Chris Gardner or Will Smith
Can we ever have happiness? In this world is there such thing as true happiness? WE focus so much on the pursuit of this thing, or this person that eventually we get so caught up in this chase for the happiness that this is going to bring us, and then we actually get the prized possession and it feels dull, and insufficient. The game and the hunt of trying to get what we are wanting, and what is going to bring our happiness is over, and now we have it and it seems like something is missing. We have focused so much on the pursuit of this object, this person, that we have lost focus of why this is going to bring us happiness, why it is so important. We just become consumed by our lust for this object, for this relationship this person, we get caught up in the emotions of not being able to have it.
We start to let the emotions and the disappointment of not being able to have what we want that it sets in and then we get what we want, God blesses us with something that we have wanted and we are thankful for a short period of time because the excitement of the pursuit is gone. Is there true happiness in things, in relationships and in people? Can we be happy once we have accomplished the mission of the pursuit?
Yes, I believe that there is happiness to be had from God's blessings. In the gifts God gives us, the things that we want that God tells us "alright you can have it." There should be happiness in that, but it cannot become an obsession.
The pursuit is too easy to make an obsession, and therefore almost an addiction. We get the little glimpses of the things we want in life, and it makes us want even more and more, these 'highs' keep us wanting these things, and therefore once we actually get it it does not seem so good anymore. We are not getting these 'highs' anymore, it has become the normal, it is okay for a bit, until it becomes normal, then it is not 'fun' anymore.
-I realize two things in writing this specific blog:
-my thoughts are scattered
- and I am not exactly sure what I am trying to say, (still working through this one)
What do you think? Out in Left Field or making sense? Anything to add?
We think this think will make us happy, we think that if we could just obtain this thing, or this person's affection, or even just the friendship, that everything will just resolve itself and everything will just be okay, and then we can be truly happy. I remember a quote from the movie the Pursuit of Happyness,
"It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?" - Chris Gardner or Will Smith
Can we ever have happiness? In this world is there such thing as true happiness? WE focus so much on the pursuit of this thing, or this person that eventually we get so caught up in this chase for the happiness that this is going to bring us, and then we actually get the prized possession and it feels dull, and insufficient. The game and the hunt of trying to get what we are wanting, and what is going to bring our happiness is over, and now we have it and it seems like something is missing. We have focused so much on the pursuit of this object, this person, that we have lost focus of why this is going to bring us happiness, why it is so important. We just become consumed by our lust for this object, for this relationship this person, we get caught up in the emotions of not being able to have it.
We start to let the emotions and the disappointment of not being able to have what we want that it sets in and then we get what we want, God blesses us with something that we have wanted and we are thankful for a short period of time because the excitement of the pursuit is gone. Is there true happiness in things, in relationships and in people? Can we be happy once we have accomplished the mission of the pursuit?
Yes, I believe that there is happiness to be had from God's blessings. In the gifts God gives us, the things that we want that God tells us "alright you can have it." There should be happiness in that, but it cannot become an obsession.
The pursuit is too easy to make an obsession, and therefore almost an addiction. We get the little glimpses of the things we want in life, and it makes us want even more and more, these 'highs' keep us wanting these things, and therefore once we actually get it it does not seem so good anymore. We are not getting these 'highs' anymore, it has become the normal, it is okay for a bit, until it becomes normal, then it is not 'fun' anymore.
-I realize two things in writing this specific blog:
-my thoughts are scattered
- and I am not exactly sure what I am trying to say, (still working through this one)
What do you think? Out in Left Field or making sense? Anything to add?
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