Stre-e-e-e-tch

My mind was racing on the way to work this morning. I thought of a couple different things I wanted to write about. The first one was about how we all try to be in control of things and tend to not want to give God room to work in our lives and in the lives of others. We hear of a someone we know possibly going down the wrong road, or about to make a wrong choice and we instinctively think it's all on our shoulders to make sure they don't - that we are God's divine messenger and if we don't get to the person in time all is lost. Sometimes we can be God's divine messenger - but we don't know that. I don't believe God would want us to get so worried about that person that all of a sudden we're not trusting in God that He can't work in that person's life some other way than by us convincing them that they're making a wrong choice. Our job is to do our best, pray, and leave it up to God.

My other thought comes from the book I'm reading - "Velvet Elvis". As I mentioned in my blog yesterday, it's really making me think. I have been blessed over the last 3 or 4 years by listening to several pastors on the Christian radio station that I work for. Two of them: Todd Friel and Greg Boyd have VERY different ways of evangelizing and theologizing. Now, the book I'm reading is showing me a different brand of Christian theology and it's having me think through another lens. Here's what I'm thinking: stretch yourself by exposing yourself to God loving pastors that have different theology. For me, I used to listen to Greg Boyd, or listen to Todd Friel and think that they have it all together theologically. Now, there are things that they each say that I'm not sold on, because I've heard opposing viewpoints. For me, this has brought me closer to God because it's reminding me that God is really BIG. It keeps me humble because I might have an opinion on an ancillary theological issue one day, but then hear an opposing viewpoint and question my original opinion. I don't claim now to think I'm "right" in an argument because I'm not God. I think a definition of "narrow minded" would be one who has an opinion that is very limited because they're only seen one viewpoint and never challenged it - I've been guilty of this. My passion is for people to seek -- and seek hard! If you seek, you'll find, if you don't, you won't (nice rhyme huh?). My job is to love God and love others - this doesn't mean having everything all philosophically or theologically worked out in my mind, and making sure everyone agrees with me!

Have a blessed day!