God's Will.....Our Way

I feel like I need to continue with this discussion of God' will.
I appreciate the feedback that y'all have contributed.

Today in church we saw a video that seemed pretty provocative at the outset....and then, after some time thinking about it, I really think I understand.

The video discussed the nature of being a disciple.
What it meant to "follow" a Rabbi.

The narrator discussed the method in which young boys in first century Judaism would learn Torah.
These young boys, after memorizing the Torah, would then continue on learning under a Rabbi (if they were found worthy) or they would learn their father's trade...the family business.
So.......jump ahead to Jesus calling his disciples....he called some of these men, maybe even boys, away from fishing.
They were not Rabbis.
They were not learning from another Rabbi.
They were fishermen.
They were not considered worthy by some Rabbi along the way.
They weren't good enough.
Yet Christ chose them.

The narrator then talked about faith.
How we so often talk about OUR faith in God.
Yet....if we try to understand the intricacies of 1st Century Judaism....it was Jesus who had faith
in those whom he chose.
Look at the disciples. They were definitely not perfect. They didn't always exude the air of confidence you would expect from a group of guys hanging with the Messiah.
Jesus called them to follow him....that was his only request.
If Christ is God incarnate....then shouldn't we be able to then learn how God relates to us, his disciples, by looking at how Christ related to his disciples?
God has faith in us.
That seems risky doesn't it?

We live in a fallen world of sliding morals and unquestionable sin.
Yet we are still made Imago Dei, right?
That never changed.

Look outside your window......not the Garden.
Our relationship with the almighty has forever changed from the days of Adam and Eve.
God has an undying love and wish for us to be learners of Christ, not because it has to be this way,
but because he desires it to be so.

Does God make our decisions for us?
No.
He just gave us the best option.

Again....look around you.
So many good people making so many poor choices.
Is that God's will?
No.
His will is for us to make the right choice.
Does he help us and inform our decisions?
Yes, of course.
In the same way a loving parent instructs a child.
Not by creating a clear path without struggle or opposition.
Rather by being there every step of the way - to give advice and kiss boo boo's.

This is probably all semantics and conjecture......you can delete the word "probably" from the previous phrase.
My issue when talking about this, well....issue....., is that when we talk about God in such a mechanistic fashion we lose out on his most amazing feature.
His love.

I know this may seem to be dancing around some issues.....so let's dance!
I'd love to hear what everyone has to say.

Everywhere...all the time...everything!

Wow........I just went to the bathroom.

I didn't mean to be gone so long.

Ha! That's funny.

I am not sure why I have fallen off the blogging wagon so quickly....but here's to getting back on and trying again.
I hope that this finds everyone good and well and fine.
I am none of those things.

I have been demoted at work. First it was just in responsibilities. Then came the title and the money. And all leading up to Christmas which, as you can probably guess, is not the best timing. Strangely enough I am relieved. I will have less responsibility and I will actually get a day off once a week now. Imagine that!

Now I will have more time to devote to finishing my Master's Degree and then be able to start applying to PhD programs. I am very excited about that! I find that the times when I am the happiest are when I am with a group of friends talking about God, Life and stuff. I want to do that for a living. I want to talk and write about the things that interest me!

A couple of weeks back I lead a group of about 40 college students through the process of Spiritual Journaling. It was a blast!! I had so much fun preparing for it and then when the time came to actually do it.....it felt right. Me there with a bunch of eager, willing participants writing their hearts down on paper....it felt like I was in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

I am going through, with a group of friends, a book that another friend has written called Understanding God's Will: How To Hack The Equation Without Formulas (it can be found at http://www.relevantbooks.com/).
The thing that has impressed me so much about what I have read so far is the common sense approach that Kyle seems to infuse in an otherwise confusing and hyper-theological issue. God's will for your life is not about being in the right places at the right times doing the right things.
Why?
Because that means that there is a wrong place, wrong time, wrong thing.
And, whether or not you believe it.....God is everywhere at all the time in everything.

Just a thought. Do you agree?