The Fourth

I have a unique collection of friends. One of my circles is summed up by three of my closest male friends, Matt, Myles, and Tiller. Each one has a different perspective of the world and Christian thought. One thing I like to brag about when speaking of my friends is their great intellect and vast stores of theological knowledge-each one containing a piece of puzzle.

Tiller-caught up in the beauty of historical theology and tradition-can talk for hours on the thoughts and practices of early church fathers, who are often neglected and forgotten by mainstream Protestantism and small Christian circles.

Matt-lover of systematic theology-searches for weaknesses in Theological paradigms and seeks to construct a theology that is logical, flows, and is consistent.

Myles-prodigy of the biblical languages-doesn't come to conclusion without first consulting the semantics of the ancient speakers of Greek and Hebrew. His theology is greatly shaped by wording and format of the ancient text that most of us miss because of our limitation to English.

Where do I fall into all this?

Me. It has often been pointed out to me that I live, move, and breathe within the realm of practical theology. I have often tried to be good at the other three forms that my friends bear, but this is a terrible injustice to them, to the world, and to myself. In trying to be the highly logical, historical, or philosophical theologian, I have neglect that which I am gifted in naturally.

I'm not saying that I cannot engage in the other three forms or that I am not good at them. I am logical and philosophical, but I have lost my focus and have been someone other than myself in an attempt to sound intelligent and to imitate others. I could think about the deep things of God, I can have all the best theological arguments, and I can teach every theological construct with clarity and simplicity, but if I don't have love and if I do not take action to push back the growing darkness then I am nothing and only making noise. If my studies don't lead to charity, compassion, excellence, and service I have ultimately failed and my thinking and reading have been in vain.

In terms of theology, logic, and knowledge I am the least among my three friends. I am the fourth. In terms of necessity and purpose I am in equality with them, and it is vital that I act upon my gifting and live out the person God has wired me to be, not letting fear, pride, and insecurity prevent me from honoring God in this way.

Grace and Peace. 

Speed Limits

One of the things that my friends get on to me the most is my religious devotion to obeying speed limits! They are always telling me to pick up the pace. Sometimes I think they are right. I drive to slow. But this isn't the case with the rest of my life. In fact, I think I am going so fast that life is passing me by and I'm not noticing all the beauty that surrounds me. At the same time I fear I may in some ways be going so slow that I'm not getting anyway. Since I am not a car, it is possible for me to go both too fast and too slow at the same time. 

Once again I am faced with the need (and desire) for change. Change has been a major theme in my life over the last 5 years, and it seems that it will be for a good deal longer. This change has to do with what I was referring to in the paragraph above. Observation of the life that speeding past me and the people that I am encountering on a daily basis is one of the things that I am working on. This is going back all the way to my very first post about "Being Present". Being a part of the world around us and our community is a significant part of being human. 

Second, I am not getting far in life as of right now. Personal study and discipline in the areas of life that I'd like improve in are significantly lacking. The study of foreign language, theology, culture, art, etc are all areas that I want to research and dive into, but have yet to truly devote time and effort into accomplishing. The time has come to change this. Waiting to start will only result in me waiting so long that death will come knocking before I accomplish what I want in life. This means breaking free of some of the limits that I've imposed upon my self...and many that have been imposed on me by others and I have foolishly followed. 

It's time to be me as I am and not me as others want me to be. I am a Christian, not because my parents want me to be, but because I have found Christian doctrine true and the purest way to live life. I am conservative in my lifestyle because of what I believe and not what others believe. It's time to break a few speed limits and write a few new ones. It is a matter of great discipline and it will be most difficult, but I have found this to be of the utmost importance. I think it's about time that I truly took the controls and began driving my own life.