Truth, real truth is as deep as the ocean but strong enough that a thimble full can change you through and through. Last year I decided to start working on a doctorate. I enrolled in a Th.D program and I am pursuing a degree with an emphasis on apologetics(meaning defense of the faith). I have completed four classes so far. Each class requires me to read about 1800 pages and then write a 17-20 page paper. Most of the reading is pretty intense. I read this earlier today..."...many faith passages without an expressed object are open-ended, and must not be loaded with propositional or doctrinal content. Thus "faith" becomes the nonintellectual, transcendent form that achieves concrete expression in various intellectual forms that are necessarily tied to specific cultures". Yeah,ok, I think you are just showing off. Much of what I read sounds like that and today it made me thankful for things like the church picnic. I walked around the picnic talking to people who have had their lives changed by an understanding of the Gospel of Jesus. They understand that their life is a mess because of sin but God loves them enough to send Jesus and that has made all the difference. I guess I really appreciate that the greatest minds can spend entire lifetimes digging into the truth of the Bible and never get to the bottom. The book I am reading right now is 640 pages long and the guy who wrote it has a dozen more just like it. But it is also great that no one has to be that smart to understand the love of God and be changed. God has made it simple and complex. Understandable and unfathomable. How cool is that? So, for those of you who think these musings on my blog are the deepest thing you will encounter today, the Gospel is for you and God can change you with the truth you know into the image of His son. For those of you who read this blog like a cartoon then the Gospel is for you and is deeper than the deepest ocean and the greatest minds the world has ever produced have not found the end of it yet. Oh, and God can take you and your over-sized brain and make you more like Jesus. Now, I am sounding bitter so I will take my little snack size cranium back to the book and slog through another 20 pages. Don't forget to wake me up for dinner.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
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5 comments:
It is not the style but the message that shows people their need for a Savior. Luke 1:17 John the Baptist was called by God "........to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." PREPARED. Ponder and dwell awhile on that loaded word and ask am I prepared. Also, am I sharing The Message with someone else that they too will be prepared. WOW!
Joe-
I'll be praying for you in support of obtaining that Th.D!
Remember - Those guys are no more sure of their salvation than you are! They just travelled the "Yellow Brick Road" and got their diploma from the guy behind the curtain! That & they have a "Word Adder" in their word processor where we have a spell checker!
Missed you last night.
sm
Joe, I think anyone who studies and reads to improve knowledge has my deapest respect. In my industry of employment I can earn different designations and sometimes I come accross the same type of sentence that I will need to read more than once. I'm never sure I'm suppose to understand it or be impressed that someone can think like that!?!?!
Anyway, tell me your opinion, if you wish, about individuals who preach the Gospel but do not have any formal education to do so. Can they preach the message of the Gospel effectively and have the credibility they need?
By the way, what is a Th.D? (I was raised Catholic)
yes, i think people can preach effectively without a formal education. D.L. Moody was one who preached to more people and had a greater impact than almost anyone outside of Billy Graham. A.W.Tozer was another great man of God with only a high school education. Maybe the key is to go by your initials as a first name. A Th.D is a doctorate in theology. Thanks for reading.
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