Quote from G.K. Chesterton

I recently just finished a book by G.K. Chesterton called Orthodoxy. It is basically a testimony/his reasons for rational believing in Christianity. It is deep, eloquent, philosophical, and mostly way over my head.

Here is a passage from near the end of the book where he is responding to people who think of Jesus as being passive and un-exciting.

"Instead of looking at books and pictures about the New Testament I looked at the New Testament. There I found an account, not in the least of a person with his hair parted in the middle or his hands clasped in appeal, but of an extraordinary being with lips of thunder and acts of lurid decision, flinging down tables, casting out devils, passing with the wild secrecy of the wind from mountain isolation to a sort of dreadful demagogy; a being who often acted like an angry god-- and always like a God. Christ has a literary style of his own, not to be found, I think, elsewhere; it consists of an almost furious us of the "a fortiori" (I have no idea what that is). His "so much more" is piled upon another like castle upon castle in the clouds. The diction used about christ has been, perhaps wisely, sweet and submissive. But the diction used by Christ is quite curiously gigantesque; it is full of camels leaping through needles and mountains hurled into the sea." ....."The one explanation of the Gospel language that does explain it, is that it is the survey of one who from some supernatural height beholds some more startling synthesis." -G.K. Chesterton

Fear

For as long as I can remember I have been absolutely terrified of snakes. I have no idea where this irrational fear of mine comes. I was also a huge Indiana Jones fan growing up and wanted to be just like him. And every big Indiana fans know that his one and only fear is snakes (accurately shown in the clip).

I love to hike and when I do hike one of the only things that I am afraid of are snakes. I choose the path depending on where I believe the least snakes will be and watch where I put every foot in order to avoid snakes at all cost. In fact my irrational fear controls how I hike.

Is this not like all other legitimate fears that we let control our lives? We may be scared to die, scared to be uncomfortable, being broke, or of allowing God to take utter control of your life. I would be willing to beat that everyone has some fear that controls our lives and interferes with us trusting in God completely.

What is your fear that is in the back of your mind that keeps you from running through the trails of life freely, not peeking behind corners and cautiously taking baby steps to avoid what it is that you are afraid of?

Many years ago I had a vision while having an amazing and pure worship experience of a snake slithering into my mind. All of a sudden a cloaked man came with a staff and crushed the head of the snake. I spent the rest of the night holding Jesus' hand in one of the most pure worship experiences I have ever heard.

At the time I had not been introduced to the Genesis 3 verse about a future savior crushing the head of the serpent. But when I made the connection i realized there is nothing to be fearful of, Jesus rules victoriously and no tangible or spiritual evil can cause me harm.

I was reminded of this constantly as I hiked the hills around the Oak's camp that are infested with all kinds of snakes.

Summer Lessons

Will I ever get to a point where I trust God's sovereign, good, and loving hand over my life? I do not know! But It never fails to be incredibly humbling to come out the other end of an experience knowing exactly that God had you right where he wanted you the whole time.

I had a million reasons to wonder why I chose to go to the Oaks summer camp. i.e. (I was surrounded by many christian school kids, people that had been Christian's their whole lives, differences of theologies, difference of methods of sharing the Gospel, etc...)

But man o man did I grow to love the people that I was in fellowship and service with every day for 6 weeks.

A few in particular I know I will be good friends with for a long time. I have to be.. I am indebted into the way they spoke into my life and changed me.