Strange season.
I've had a rough time emotionally lately. But God has been there.
Had a great talk with my best man Rich and Dan about the meaning behind Job. Somehow we got on the topic of whether or not Job's suffering could have been reduced by having been more perfect prior to. One friend saw the book as mainly speaking about Job's humility. Job had perfect actions and no one could see sin in his life but his heart was another story, there was pride there, which Elehu and eventually God Himself were compelled to point out, causing Job to repent, and subsequently be rewarded. The other friend saw the book mainly from the perspective of a test of faith. This person focusd on the will of Job against the temptation to "curse God and die" which he was able to maintain. I listend to both of them and concluded that they were both reconciling thier own lives to the text (it's alive after all) and chose to compare the discussion to people's views on why the Holy Spirit does not do what we think he should do in this time and place, believing it not to be a punishment for not having the proper faith in God ("name it and claim it": if God isn't performing your miracle its because your faith is screwed up) nor a punishment for not being good enough ("Holiness movement" If God isn't acting like your little miracle monkey it's cause your watchin too much tv or some other rule we made up). What God requires from us is our hearts. And the law is edification. I just think God's doing what God wants to do right now and suppose I lean towards my second friend's faith interp of Job saying that God is good and awesome despite the situation our church finds itself in. I think too many of us act like Job's friends and point condeming fingers at people whose hearts are in the hands of God. May God speak.
God's been meeting me in some realy cool ways.. I was in my little studio area thinking about how much time I had spent playing video games, sacrificing time with both my music work and my family. I envisioned a digital clock on the wall with seconds ticking past like some display at Houston Command. My wife returned that evening from a trip to Ohio with my family that I had to miss due to work. She told me of how my sweet grandma was so happy that I was raising my kids to love God. She handed me a gift, I unwrapped and it was the very clock I had envisioned a day earlier.. A radio controlled atomic digital clock with the seconds ticking speedily away.
If I don't make music I die. There's no more effective way for me to express that. I am a midnight man and spend most of my time thinking and some reading. I wish I had some way to bring my music tools to work (very restricted setting). I want to bring a small computer to work on mixes or whatnot. I want to build a specialized backpackers banjo that I could fold up and hide in a backpack. Or so I was thinking earlier last night. Any way I got to work and in my little office area there was a set of bongos.. ? apparantly some staff had gotten approval to bring them in for a night. Also the Kings of Latin Jazz were playing live from Denver on NPR. :) Me and the sons of Tito Puente jammed at 2am this morning.
Anyway, I've been really depressed for a few months but things like that cut ino it just when I need it. God whispers. I love it.
Dad
Had a great talk with my best man Rich and Dan about the meaning behind Job. Somehow we got on the topic of whether or not Job's suffering could have been reduced by having been more perfect prior to. One friend saw the book as mainly speaking about Job's humility. Job had perfect actions and no one could see sin in his life but his heart was another story, there was pride there, which Elehu and eventually God Himself were compelled to point out, causing Job to repent, and subsequently be rewarded. The other friend saw the book mainly from the perspective of a test of faith. This person focusd on the will of Job against the temptation to "curse God and die" which he was able to maintain. I listend to both of them and concluded that they were both reconciling thier own lives to the text (it's alive after all) and chose to compare the discussion to people's views on why the Holy Spirit does not do what we think he should do in this time and place, believing it not to be a punishment for not having the proper faith in God ("name it and claim it": if God isn't performing your miracle its because your faith is screwed up) nor a punishment for not being good enough ("Holiness movement" If God isn't acting like your little miracle monkey it's cause your watchin too much tv or some other rule we made up). What God requires from us is our hearts. And the law is edification. I just think God's doing what God wants to do right now and suppose I lean towards my second friend's faith interp of Job saying that God is good and awesome despite the situation our church finds itself in. I think too many of us act like Job's friends and point condeming fingers at people whose hearts are in the hands of God. May God speak.
God's been meeting me in some realy cool ways.. I was in my little studio area thinking about how much time I had spent playing video games, sacrificing time with both my music work and my family. I envisioned a digital clock on the wall with seconds ticking past like some display at Houston Command. My wife returned that evening from a trip to Ohio with my family that I had to miss due to work. She told me of how my sweet grandma was so happy that I was raising my kids to love God. She handed me a gift, I unwrapped and it was the very clock I had envisioned a day earlier.. A radio controlled atomic digital clock with the seconds ticking speedily away.
If I don't make music I die. There's no more effective way for me to express that. I am a midnight man and spend most of my time thinking and some reading. I wish I had some way to bring my music tools to work (very restricted setting). I want to bring a small computer to work on mixes or whatnot. I want to build a specialized backpackers banjo that I could fold up and hide in a backpack. Or so I was thinking earlier last night. Any way I got to work and in my little office area there was a set of bongos.. ? apparantly some staff had gotten approval to bring them in for a night. Also the Kings of Latin Jazz were playing live from Denver on NPR. :) Me and the sons of Tito Puente jammed at 2am this morning.
Anyway, I've been really depressed for a few months but things like that cut ino it just when I need it. God whispers. I love it.
Dad