Definitives

I wanted to come back and clarify a bit from yesterday's post. I want to be really, REALLY clear that what I'm saying is that it's my own life that's lacking in "definitiveness," "conclusiveness," "clearly defined or formulated" anything (definitions from en.wiktionary.org/wiki/definitiveness, www.sfaf.org/custom/glossary.aspx, & wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn).

You see, the minute I think I've got everything figured out, and I've got all my ducks in a row nodding their cute little ducky heads, something else makes a huge splash in my pond and all the ducks are bobbing every which way.

And so I grab on to the only one and true definitive I know, I crawl on that shore while I wait for the waves to settle.

You know what I'm going to say, right? It's God. But it's more than even that. Are you ready?

...God is LOVE...

...not just some huge being in the sky, but active, living LOVE...Love so vast, so attentive, so persistent, and so REAL that Love put on a body and walked among humans in the person of Jesus. Go on over to If Life is a Highway and watch the videos in How Great IS Our God if you want to try to bend your brain around just how significant that is. We're talking about the creator of the galaxy walking around with skin and a body. Extravagant love.

This is the Definitive. I can rest on that shore.

My life? Not so much. But my life within the God who is LOVE? Perhaps...someday...I'll know the answers. ;)

Thousand Word Thursday

This is the treehouse in the back yard that we want to fix up this summer. Mango used to play in it when he was a kid!

A quote from The Shack

Yes, folks, I'm finally, FINALLY reading The Shack (by William P. Young). My Bible Study group is making me do it. ;) So far, I've stumbled upon one very good quote that I want to make sure I write down. Here it is:

There are times when you choose to believe something that would normally be considered absolutely irrational. It doesn't mean that it is actually irrational, but it surely is not rational. Perhaps there is a suprarationality: reason beyond the normal definition of fact or data-based logic; something that only makes sense if you can see a bigger picture of reality. Maybe that is where faith fits in.

I can say that I am absolutely fascinated by the concept of this book, though I'm not personally in love with the actual writing. So, I'm hooked because I want to know how all the ideas play out. This is going to make for one very interesting book discussion.

Thousand Word Thursday

In honor of Mane's upcoming birthday...

Then...


And now...

R.I.P. Luna

Remember those little baby rats we brought home just under two years ago? Well, little Luna died today...



We buried her in the yard. Mane shed some tears. We were able to smile, though, about how comfortable and happy Luna's little life was and how she's not tired, sick or in pain any longer.

Rest in peace, Luna.

Want to do something about global warming?

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And I found the badge over at Operation Nice, a worthwhile and inspiring read.

This Conversation Keeps Coming Around....

It seems like I keep bumping into this issue from different angles everywhere...free will, God's sovereignty, the problem of evil, the goodness of God. Here's another take on it.

What does prayer do? We had this talk at my Bible study group last week, and I've been turning it over in my brain ever since. If, for example, I pray for my child to be cured from cancer, and my child is healed, well, PRAISE GOD! What an amazing answer to prayer, yes? And I will tell this story for as long as I live. What if, however, my child dies? It happens. It happens to faith-filled people who believe that God has the power to heal. What then? Is this an answer to prayer? And will I tell that story as long as I live?

Here's what happened to me. I was telling about the beautiful answer to prayer that Vespera & Mango were interviewed by a compassionate Christian woman at the Embassy when we went to Mexico for Vespera's visa approval. I told this story in response to a question about how we each personally have seen God in our own lives, how we know God is there. My beautiful Bible study ladies responded with something like, "But what if that hadn't happened?" Would I still believe God? My answer is a resounding yes, and, yet, I felt squashed.

Squashed feelings aside, I have to say that I know I'd still be believing God if Vespera had not been approved at the Embassy. I know I'd be seeing God work through other things in other ways bringing about other miracles. And, perhaps, the greatest miracles would be in me...in us...in our hearts and in who we are and who we would become.

So, um, back to the question. What does prayer do? If it's the case that one outcome or the other will happen, and it won't always be what we ask for or what we want, does God really answer prayer? Or do things simply happen the way they're going to happen and God helps us pick up the pieces when it isn't a positive outcome?

I don't have any answers. And I'm tired of this post sitting in my drafts. So, I'm just going to get it out there. I think God answers prayer. I think it doesn't always happen the way we want it to, and I think God is there anyway. That's what I know.

...and, for some reason, I feel the need to say that I started drafting this post at exactly the same time Heather was posting this. I didn't cheat & read her thoughts first, either. ;)