The Hope of a Restored Creation

Father is an artist, and spring and summer show His love of beauty and color.

For three weeks I have spoken about shrinking the doctrine of the final end of the wicked away for "eternal conscious torment", to include other possibilities, ie, annihilation, or ultimate reconciliation.

It is an emotional topic and many are fully invested in the views they have been taught. So I shared some of the hope I have derived from my studies and shared the larger hope I have been researching.

Today I shared that once you see the thematic importance of restoration, and realize that God moves from age to age and not from time to eternity, you have the wiggle room for God to be both just and merciful, not only in this evil eon we call the age of grace, but in the eons to come, when God may release those who have realized what they have done to harm others and self in this life, and bow the knee, late, and chastised as Father continued to be the reconciler of the lost sons and daughters of Adam. Then sin and death and hades and everything become God's all in all, for all the coming eons.

People aren't asking and People aren't telling

How's this for a backyard view?

I have suspected this for quite a while but Christianity Today reports that engaging people with spiritual conversation has become more difficult and is resented in most parts of our nation. The classic "If you were to die tonight, and God were to ask, Why should I let you into my heaven, what would you answer?" may not be the best lead in to a helpful conversation, so says the article.

Accordingly, the number of Christians who actually engaged people in spiritual conversations on a daily or weekly basis has diminished a great deal as well.

Part of this I think is our rapidly expanding world of information, and our perceptions of the differences between religious beliefs among Americans.

I do not see this article as particularly alarming, for the ways in which God brings people to think about spiritual things is amazing and changing and always effective. Sometimes the way in which we confront people or threaten them does more to set back the cause than we expect.

This tension in the last few decades between a God who loves you and is ready to burn your forever and ever if you do not respond in a timely and proper fashion, may not actually resemble the gospel Jesus lived, and the gospel Paul preached. God may be much more interested in justice and compassion than manners and sin management.

The Middle East

Ah, springtime and golf in our perfect weather. Surely my life has fallen in pleasant places.

So different than we are in the Christian west, in dress, custom and language, the strange figures of their written language, the passion with which they gather in anger and protest.

The violence in this country and in the region breaks my heart and I have no idea what to do about it except pray.

Heard a quote from Albert Einstien who knew and understood nuclear power when he said that if we pursue WWIII, the WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones. God help us to help the middle east to value life and peace more than power and violence.

To a watery grave, often!!!

Yesterday I enjoyed a rare free round of Golf at Ocotillo Golf resort. You hit over or near water on most of the holes and it does something to your brain.

I have the physical ability to execute a good effective swing, but the mental aspects of the game affect that physical ability, and that is exactly why Golf can be for many a spiritual lesson, because we use the same types of dynamics in getting our mind and body to walk after the spirit and not fulfill the fears or the desires of the flesh.

It was a long frustrating walk in the sunshine with I loved/hated all afternoon. Made two birdies on the front nine.

Passing on a talent

This is a piano teacher and her son, playing together. It is a picture of what family is all about, training and discipline and skill and the enjoyment of life, and music, and beauty. Each musician at this mini concert to a formal bow before the mostly elderly audience, and they were charmed by the performances and the discipline.

Brain Fog

The wife of a friend was going through her High School papers, and others noticed she had drawing skill, so after 40 years she took a class and is a budding late life artist in the field of pen and ink. Way to go! Great work, keep it up.

I am battling a brain overload, or an aging issue, or an organizational struggle, or something.

I have always been a good multitasker, carrying bunches of unrelated thoughts in my mind and having a kind of internal reminder clock that told me where I needed to be and what my to do list was, and all that is eroding lately.

My Zoom tablet reminds me of meetings, but I must remember to put in the dates. I missed a meeting on Saturday that I had reminded myself internally not to miss.

The present demands seems to be erasing rather than prioritizing the other demands.

I started preaching Sunday and forget I had promised our brilliant flutist another song. Gone, erased, and no one stopped me, out of politeness or pity, though I caught some complaints after the forgetful deed.

I am aware of it, and doing more to combat it.........What was I talking about?

You continue to work after retirement

I gave the invocation at an awards banquet that honors people who volunteer and continue to work to make our world, and community a better place.