tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65964722693961466042024-02-07T09:02:24.699-08:00All Creation WaitsKeddahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157346307836570523noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596472269396146604.post-47502601791092672742014-01-27T11:59:00.000-08:002014-01-27T11:59:59.056-08:00Breaking into our World<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Oh tiny seed, planted in the
soil of Creation</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">hidden joy and mystery</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Warmed by the love of God</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">springing up in joyful
expectation</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Growing up to become the
largest of shrubs</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">sheltering all of Creation
in its shade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
kingdom of God.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><br />
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</span></span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Christians
for the most part have this kind of hope: for a superhero Christ to return in
this Second Coming, and instantly transform all of Creation into the Peaceable
Kingdom of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christians are awaiting
the Messiah, only Christians believe that Christ came once already, and now
they await his return in glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many
ways, nothing has changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
biggest flaw in this Second-Coming-as-superhero type scenario is the idea that
the God who created us as totally free-willed creatures will suddenly come
along and coerce all of Creation into peace and harmony at the end of
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has not worked that way, God
does not work that way, and God is not going to work that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is not a God of coercion who will somehow
force or manipulate Creation into harmony and rob it of freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is not creating the kingdom of God
through violence, and will not take away from Creation the gift of
freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow this great peace and
harmony, and the blessing of all Creation, is going to happen through people
who still have their free wills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore God must persuade, rather than coerce, us to peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">God
is a God of persuasion, who calls us into harmony and peace, and through Christ,
shows us the way to harmony and peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We, all the people of the world, not only the baptized, are the
instruments of God’s shalom peace -- if we but knew it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the beginning God created people for a
purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of humanity is created in
God’s image, and we are all God’s children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Christians have to wake up to the realization of who we are in God, and
one by one awaken all the rest of God’s children, and call these children to
maturity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to start following the
way, the truth and the light, and let the kingdom of God
grow, and spread and become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are God’s
children, but we are not meant to stay as immature infants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are called to maturity and partnership
with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we are called to wake up
all the rest of humanity to its role as partners with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of humanity has been created for this
partnership with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not mere
spectators of Creation, called to be God’s cheerleaders, shouting or singing
alleluias.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are created to enter into
the plan of Creation, and are an active part of God’s plan. </span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">Want to read more? Go <a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Creation-Waits-Unfulfilled-Christianity/dp/0982616007/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390852638&sr=1-1&keywords=ALL+CREATION+WAITS" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </span></span></i>Keddahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157346307836570523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596472269396146604.post-59353349892706973962014-01-24T11:47:00.000-08:002014-01-24T11:47:41.247-08:00Creation Groans<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Creation groans and is in
agony</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.5pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">we, called to
free her, are her doom.</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">God created and all was good</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">but God gave
her to us to mind.</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Now she labors nearly in
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">yet not
without a bit of hope.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Ignorant of who we really
are</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">God’s children
walk asleep.</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Creation waits with patient
hope</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">for God’s
children to awake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">All Creation waits and yearns
and longs</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.5pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">to hear --</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">the sleepers
have awakened!</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.5pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">-------</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.5pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">When I wrote these words as the opening to my first chapter the situation in our world in regard to climate change was already becoming more obvious. Today it seems there is little doubt that the change in climate that is coming to our world is caused by humanity, and is getting worse. As I wrote:</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 22.5pt;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Christianity
has not been very effective as a transforming agent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here and there a little progress into God’s
kingdom has been made, but not enough, not by far enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the ongoing presence of the anointed one
of God, or the Christ/Messiah, we have a mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are supposed to bring about the harmonious
coexistence of all peoples -- free of war, fear, poverty, hatred and
intolerance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we are to restore to
all of Creation the goodness of its being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only when these things are being accomplished, at least in some measure,
will all of humanity know that the one we call Jesus is truly the
Christ/Messiah/God.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i> </i> </span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Salvation is not about getting yourself to heaven, it is about bringing the ways of God to earth. God expects so much more of us, and still has faith in us to save not just ourselves, but the world. God's faith in us astonishes me, because I often look at humanity and shake my head in doubt that we will ever wake up to our potential with God. </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
Keddahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157346307836570523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6596472269396146604.post-68003847618860623502014-01-23T12:34:00.000-08:002014-01-23T12:34:46.598-08:00New Beginnings<b>This is a new beginning</b> for a blog that I closed down due to too many problems with hackers. I decided to come to Google Blogger, as I've had success with another blog here. At the same time I am creating this new, yet old, blog I've created a new website to go with it. You can find the website at <a href="http://allcreationwaits.com/" target="_blank">All Creation Waits</a>. There is not a lot here now, but this will change as I get back to posting. Old friends -- welcome back. New friends -- welcome.<br />
<br />
This blog was originally born because of the book, <u>All Creation Waits</u>, published in 2009. You can find more about how that book came to be written at the website above. It you are interested in the book, you can find it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Creation-Waits-Unfulfilled-Christianity/dp/0982616007/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390508690&sr=1-1&keywords=all+creation+waits" target="_blank">HERE</a>. <br />
<br />
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<br />Keddahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157346307836570523noreply@blogger.com0