This past weekend Rob Bell spoke at our church. I know he is a great speaker, but I didn't realize how good of a teacher he was. Rob's talk about forgiveness was so good. He was clear, engaging, and stayed focused on the point he wanted to make. I was impacted by the content of his message. Check it out if you have time.
http://www.whchurch.org/content/page_173.htm
The points I took away were, Forgiveness is personal, always personal. Forgiveness is not condoning something, its not forgetting what happened, its not necessarily reconciliation, and it does not wipe away consequences. Forgiveness is letting go, stopping the cycle of revenge. Revenge can be active or passive, either way it is about not aligning with God's justice, revenge is taking things into your own hands apart from God. Revenge is about give back what has been done to you, someone hit you, you hit them back, some one yells at you you yell back, you respond in kind.
I had forgotten about forgiveness and this message was a powerful wake up call and helped me to release somethings I was holding against other people. It was very freeing.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
A Lesson from the Trip
I am home!! Back from 3 weeks on the road, driving through glorious mountains, freakishly hot deserts, the ocean and back through the mystical prairie land. It was an amazing trip and I had lots of good times. As we were driving through South Dakota on our way back to God's country (Minnesota), we were talking and reflecting on the past 3 weeks and I had this little challenge from God. On my reflection I felt as though God said "don't limit what I can do for you."
This was a challenging statement for me to hear, because it removes me from any control at all, other than to reject what is given. This has been a lesson I have been learning over the past year. Realizing what God can, will, and does do for me, its hard for me to come to a realization that I can do everything in my power and that is good most of the time, but when I am in a situation where its not good enough and the fact is we won't get there unless God gives us something that is a scary place for me.
I think the goal for me in the next year or lifetime is to become more comfortable depending on God to show up. Not that I work less or don't try as hard, but putting myself in situations where God has to show up or "we ain't gonna get there." This is a good word seeing as there are going to be new challenges in many areas for me coming up and I am sure for everyone else. The thing I am going to try and do this next year is not to be so safe. What I mean by that is not starting to jump off buildings or rob banks, but rather be more willing to put myself in situations where I know God has to show up. That is my challenge for the next year and with that to not reject the gift that God gives no matter what it is.
Hope you all are well,
Jason
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Colorado
hey all,
We have begun our trip to LA for my Staff Candidate Orientation week next week. Yes, I could have flown, but driving is so much more fun, don't you think. Yesterday we went through Iowa, Nebraska and ended up in Colorado for the night. We are hanging out with my friend Mike L today. Mike took us on a killer hike, where we got up to about 9500 feet and over looked the entire valley and saw about 3 different mountain ranges.
It has been a good trip so far, but its also like heading out on a big adventure. It's weird to think I won't be in my bed for 3 weeks. I am looking forward to going places I have never gone and seeing people I have never seen. Also, getting more clarity on my job description is pretty exciting as well.
Hope you are all well. The thought for the day is what has happened in the last year to change the way you look at the world? Here is something I saw this morning that challenges my understanding of limits.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
the ball is rolling
ok, I need to get into a rhythm with this blogging thing. So here is my attempt to get the ball rolling. This last weekend, thanks everyone who signed up to support me, it was a very successful weekend.
Since then I have been running around meeting with people and trying to stay on top of all my details as well. This Monday I leave for 3 weeks for LA. Its a work trip and I will be stopping in Denver, Las Vegas, LA, Grand Canyon, Denver and then Gillette Wyoming. I am looking forward to it.
I do have a question for everyone. now that I am becoming a grown up I decided to start ironing my shirts...that is hard. Does anyone have any good ideas or techniques? Let me know if you do.
peace out
Since then I have been running around meeting with people and trying to stay on top of all my details as well. This Monday I leave for 3 weeks for LA. Its a work trip and I will be stopping in Denver, Las Vegas, LA, Grand Canyon, Denver and then Gillette Wyoming. I am looking forward to it.
I do have a question for everyone. now that I am becoming a grown up I decided to start ironing my shirts...that is hard. Does anyone have any good ideas or techniques? Let me know if you do.
peace out
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Intergration Day
ok, so I have been integrating myself today. Yes, Facebook, Blogspot, Twitter, Extender, books, music, news, its all integrated and so am I. I actually had a chip implanted in my brian that just uploads the daily news headlines so I don't have to read them, I just know them, cool.
Life has been crazy this last month, so much to do, and to think about. I am just trying to streamline everything. I started reading "Renovation of the Heart" again, I have read it twice before, but am reading it with a group of guys. I plowed through the first chapter, interesting, good stuff...I would like to say. Right now as I was reading it I kept thinking, "great, another thing to make myself better, as if there wasn't enough wrong with me already." I think that thought was less about the book and more about where I am at. The book is very practical, or at least claims to be and since I read it before I know it is. Its good stuff, but I think there are other things I need to attend too first, that will make this process of "bettering" myself more meaningful and effective.
ok that's all I got for now.
This is my re-newd blog, my everyday blog, thoughts, rants, dreams, anything goes. For a more comprehesive and orderly understanding of what's going on in my life, check out www.Jasoninthehague.blogspot.com
peace
Life has been crazy this last month, so much to do, and to think about. I am just trying to streamline everything. I started reading "Renovation of the Heart" again, I have read it twice before, but am reading it with a group of guys. I plowed through the first chapter, interesting, good stuff...I would like to say. Right now as I was reading it I kept thinking, "great, another thing to make myself better, as if there wasn't enough wrong with me already." I think that thought was less about the book and more about where I am at. The book is very practical, or at least claims to be and since I read it before I know it is. Its good stuff, but I think there are other things I need to attend too first, that will make this process of "bettering" myself more meaningful and effective.
ok that's all I got for now.
This is my re-newd blog, my everyday blog, thoughts, rants, dreams, anything goes. For a more comprehesive and orderly understanding of what's going on in my life, check out www.Jasoninthehague.blogspot.com
peace
Friday, December 5, 2008
What is LoVe?
Heylow,
For some reason this past week I was challenged on my current working definition of Love. For the past, 5 - 6 years I have had a pretty firm definition of love as commitment. Which then begs the question what is commitment and how does it relate to love. My analysis of this was that commitment was the pinnacle of what Love requires and thus is love. In committing to someone you give time, you give emotion, you give your intellect, you give yourself, wholly and with out condition, you have made a decision to love this person or thing or idea and that is revealed through commitment to it.
That has been my current definition of Love. This past week, I was thinking of Love and was challenged, not to reject or to change this definition, but rather to add to it. I have realized that with many concepts, one definition is rarely enough to encompass the whole of its meaning, for instance, God, Hate, Liberty...etc. Can these be described in one sense, or by one word? I would say no, that is why we struggle with understanding them. With Love, I was challenged that my definition does not encompass the mystical side of love, the feeling side, the side that has no words or actions, the emotive side.
If the manifestation of love is commitment, then the emotive side of love is mystical. What do I mean by this? Love as I know it has the commitment side, if you are not committed then you are not loving, regardless of time spent, resources given, or words said, above all that is a commitment to the other, whatever that "other" is. This is the concrete conceptual side of love.
There is another side, there may be many other sides, but I am only at two so we'll go from there. The other side of love is mystical. As in the picture at the top of this blog, you can make out the shape of a heart, but it is transparent. When you love "other" there is something that happens in you, whether immediately or over time, something happens. Call it fondness, dependence, becoming one, fulfillment, whatever you use, something emotive happens. What is that? that is this mystical side of Love.
When you love there is a conversation that goes on, a conversation without words, actions, or even thoughts. It seems to be purely emotive at its core. I don't believe that it is E.S.P., it may be described as neurons firing in my brain, but that merely describes what is happening, it doesn't answer the why? This mystical spiritual side of love is not outside of commitment, but is wrapped up in it. To be clear, love requires commitment, but love is mystical, undefinable, as well.
To use a trivial example, Soccer (football, futebol...etc) I love soccer, I have committed to it most of my life. It brings me joy, and keeps me fit. I have a concrete commitment to Soccer, I go and play every-week, I run around, kick a ball and play, but there is something else. The is an emotive side to this. A mystical side, that is not there when I play hockey, basketball, or american football. That is not to say that one sport is better or worse, or more emotive, no.
The point is that I have decided at some point to love this game called soccer and with that decision come Love. Love requires commitment and brings with it a mystical side, that is special (special in the sense that it is different than if love was not present). I know I have not given a concrete definition of the mystical side of Love, because right now I cannot, I don't know how, I don't know if it is even possible. I will say that the adding of this mystical dimension of Love to my definition makes my understanding of love broader, even if I can't define what that broadness is, outside of commitment.
The thought I have is that there is an infinite aspect to Love. An aspect that can never be defined or understood, but is there and we participate in. Like the picture, I am appreciating, but will never be able to touch, even the people there in the picture cannot touch the heart they have made, but its there and they experience it.
For some reason this past week I was challenged on my current working definition of Love. For the past, 5 - 6 years I have had a pretty firm definition of love as commitment. Which then begs the question what is commitment and how does it relate to love. My analysis of this was that commitment was the pinnacle of what Love requires and thus is love. In committing to someone you give time, you give emotion, you give your intellect, you give yourself, wholly and with out condition, you have made a decision to love this person or thing or idea and that is revealed through commitment to it.
That has been my current definition of Love. This past week, I was thinking of Love and was challenged, not to reject or to change this definition, but rather to add to it. I have realized that with many concepts, one definition is rarely enough to encompass the whole of its meaning, for instance, God, Hate, Liberty...etc. Can these be described in one sense, or by one word? I would say no, that is why we struggle with understanding them. With Love, I was challenged that my definition does not encompass the mystical side of love, the feeling side, the side that has no words or actions, the emotive side.
If the manifestation of love is commitment, then the emotive side of love is mystical. What do I mean by this? Love as I know it has the commitment side, if you are not committed then you are not loving, regardless of time spent, resources given, or words said, above all that is a commitment to the other, whatever that "other" is. This is the concrete conceptual side of love.
There is another side, there may be many other sides, but I am only at two so we'll go from there. The other side of love is mystical. As in the picture at the top of this blog, you can make out the shape of a heart, but it is transparent. When you love "other" there is something that happens in you, whether immediately or over time, something happens. Call it fondness, dependence, becoming one, fulfillment, whatever you use, something emotive happens. What is that? that is this mystical side of Love.
When you love there is a conversation that goes on, a conversation without words, actions, or even thoughts. It seems to be purely emotive at its core. I don't believe that it is E.S.P., it may be described as neurons firing in my brain, but that merely describes what is happening, it doesn't answer the why? This mystical spiritual side of love is not outside of commitment, but is wrapped up in it. To be clear, love requires commitment, but love is mystical, undefinable, as well.
To use a trivial example, Soccer (football, futebol...etc) I love soccer, I have committed to it most of my life. It brings me joy, and keeps me fit. I have a concrete commitment to Soccer, I go and play every-week, I run around, kick a ball and play, but there is something else. The is an emotive side to this. A mystical side, that is not there when I play hockey, basketball, or american football. That is not to say that one sport is better or worse, or more emotive, no.
The point is that I have decided at some point to love this game called soccer and with that decision come Love. Love requires commitment and brings with it a mystical side, that is special (special in the sense that it is different than if love was not present). I know I have not given a concrete definition of the mystical side of Love, because right now I cannot, I don't know how, I don't know if it is even possible. I will say that the adding of this mystical dimension of Love to my definition makes my understanding of love broader, even if I can't define what that broadness is, outside of commitment.
The thought I have is that there is an infinite aspect to Love. An aspect that can never be defined or understood, but is there and we participate in. Like the picture, I am appreciating, but will never be able to touch, even the people there in the picture cannot touch the heart they have made, but its there and they experience it.
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