Box-Shaped God
“The problem’s not Hollywood, the problem’s not Washington
The problem’s a weak divided church of schizmed Christians.”
- The OC Supertones, Unite, Supertones Strike Back
If you’ve been spent amount of time around Conservative Christianity you may have heard the idea that every human has a “God-shaped hole,” a void in our soul that can only be filled by God. Oftened followed by stories of people who trying to fill this metaphorical hole with drugs, sex, music, earthly desires. These “fillers” tend have negative societal references. However, debating the existence of a God-shaped hole is not what this post is about. Let’s instead explore a new idea, the idea of a Box-shaped God.
Another popular theme of Conservative Christianity is the notion that we have actions that glorify God and ones that dishonor God. Although Biblically it’s true there are actions that honor God and ones that don’t our society seems to place value, weight and judgment to variety of actions. If you ask an individual which of these actions are more and which are less honoring to God each list will be different depending on their belief system.
What then is the “right way” to honor Christ? It seems that we tend to limit these glorifying actions to what fits inside of our God box. The box that holds our perceptions, our ideas of what God is and what God expects from us. We are quick to limit our own responsibilities shaping our views of God to what we are, or aren’t. It’s easy to judge others and tell them that they aren’t honoring God. Next time think “Am I putting God in a box? Should I expand my view of God?” By focusing on the good qualities of people, by getting to know their hearts and passion, though showing unconditional love, this is what God is. God is not (and cannot be) confined, to be held in a box.
New Era
“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.” -Cyril Connolly
If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time you’d know that I try to update at least once a month. It started out as a once a week ordeal and then quickly turned into a once a month blog. Often these blog post would be dated in the last few days of the month just to barely get posted before the month was up. Well you may have noticed there is no post for July 2010. So what happened, well I failed.
Failed, what do I mean I’ve failed? I think sometimes it’s easy to forget the driving force that causes our actions. If you go back to my first blog post you’ll see that I started this blog to be a personal diary, a place to share thoughts. Alas, here we are four years later this blog seems to have become a place where I try force my thought out of my head and on the page.
The problem is not that I have nothing to say or don’t know how to say it. It’s this lack of motivation that prevents it from being said. I don’t know what the future holds for this blog but I fully intend to continue to write from my heart. I still hope to write once a month, if not more, but the days of force blogging are over.
The new era has begun.
Please Remember [Transgender Day of Remembrance]
In the past I’ve written a few post about the transgendered community. Today marks the 11th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. This is a day set aside each year to remember those who lost their lives due to hatred or prejudice due to their transgendered or gender non-conforming status. November is Transgender Awareness Month, and Transgender Day of Remembrance always falls on the 20th of November starting in 1999 in honor of Rita Hester, who was murdered on November 28th, 1998. I ask you to please join with me in taking some time today and think about all those who’ve given their lives for simply expressing themselves.
Bring It On 2009
I thought I would just take a moment and wish everyone a happy new year. Sure, I’m five days late but hey that’s better than never right. We still have 360 days to enjoy 2009 it is my hope as I’m sure it’s yours to make 2009 better than 2008. Time just keeps on ticking. My good friend and signer TJ Sherrill wrote a song titled “Wheel” in which a verse goes ”…whither I’m five years old or tomorrow I’ll be one hundred the ticking of the clock just don’t stop, it ticks to loud in my ears this ticking sound ticks away my years…” I’m often reminded of these words when I think of each new day and how fast time really does seem to “fly.” Time is one of uncontrollable factors of our lives.
Well here’s the point where I would normally add a bunch of New Years Resolutions but I don’t think I will this year I think I’ll just make the resolution to make this year the best I possible can for myself and others and leave it at that.
Here’s to a great 2009! Bring it on!