can smart people believe in god?

Can you KNOW that God exists? Dallas Willard answered some great questions and helped people think differently about this, and a great number of other "tough questions" regarding faith and God. It's in written form in his most recent book Knowing Christ Today, but it is also in audio form from the four different services (all different questions) from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. I recommend both!

balcony time

I want to invite you to consider Balcony Time. I have stolen the phrase from a leadership book and am using it now to refer to my life with God. The basic concept is this: get off the stage of life and sit up in the balcony of the theatre with God in order to talk with Him about what is going on on the stage. Colossians 3:1 might be a theme verse: Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

For me I have to have a regular time set apart for this (usually Thursday morning). I also have to get away from the places I usually find myself, like home, work, church, places I usually run into people I know, etc. Getting out in nature or drinking a quiet cup of coffee helps.

The first few weeks I decided to be intentional about this I struggled with a busy mind, ringing phone, books that wanted to be read, music calling to me, etc. I found myself running from questions like, "Is my heart for God growing or shrinking?" Or, "What am I most/least grateful for?"

This last week seemed to be somewhat of a breakthrough. As I sat God brought a picture of twirling plates to my mind. Each plate was labelled with parts of my life, Family, Ministry, Friends, etc. Then in front of my on the table was a plate labelled Heart. There was a clear invitation to pick up my heart... but I would need to set down SOME plates.

Ministry was the first God brought to mind. I was overwhelmed with that idea but God said He would provide. I asked for a godly woman to help out in the high school ministry. He said send out an email. So I did. Within 8 hours I had two women interested. Some good consolation.

I share this because I know it is easy to become busy with so much of our lives (even while journaling or doing a daily devotion). Developing the rhythm of stepping out of our usual lives and fixing our eyes on Jesus pays off!

Get out for some Balcony Time soon!

the infancy of god

The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. - G.K. Chesterton

where is god?

This is a recurring question from my two (almost three) year old. We have taken quite a journey in these conversations. We tackle one question at a time, starting with, "Where is God?" Each time we talk we repeat the conversation from the beginning, and every few times, a new question arises . . .

Ashlyn: Where's he (God)?

Dad: God is all around us.

Ashlyn: I can't see him.

Dad: He is Spirit. He is all around us. God is very big. God will never leave us.

Ashlyn: Why will he never leave?

Dad: God loves us. God loves Ashlyn more than Mommy and Daddy do.

Ashlyn: Where's his home?

Dad: God lives in heaven. He lives in Mommy and Daddy. And God wants to live in you.

Ashlyn: God's house is next to ours?

Dad: God lives in heaven.

Ashlyn: What is heaven?

Dad: It's where what God wants is done all the time.

Ashlyn: Where's his people?

(I don't know how that question follows . . . but it's kind of cool that it did.)

Dad: His people are everywhere. Mommy and Daddy are his people. People at church are his people. People all over the world are his people. Do you want to be one of his people?

Ashlyn: Yes. What's Spirit?

Dad: Uhhh . . . spirit is personal power . . .

(Dad is stuck on Dallas Willard's "unbodily personal power" definition . . . not real helpful for a two-year-old.)

Ashlyn: What's personal power?

(This from the girl who thinks she is not big enough to say "allergies.")

Dad: It's what tells Ashlyn's arm to move when she wants.

(Ashlyn waves her arm in the air smiling.)

Dad: God is just Spirit. God is REALLY powerful. He is very strong. That's why he can make everything. Trees. Grass. Ashlyn.

. . . For now the conversation ends . . . We'll begin again I am sure . . . This has been quite the journey, and there are some seriously hard questions that I am discovering I am not always real satisfied with the answers, or am only able to repeat philosophical answers which haven't sunk in to me enough to be really understood and expressed clearly. I love that sometimes Ashlyn isn't satisfied with my answers either. The mystery of faith.