Comments on

for the time being: On building walls

walls=boundaries=clear expectations and it goes a ...

2009-09-09T14:41:02.621-05:00

walls=boundaries=clear expectations and it goes a long way to 'working' relationships. It works so well we want to do the same thing with God, but those walls=religion. We build a religion based on the things that we are good and tend to gather with others who strive to do the same things. Only the rocks in the tumbler are of all different types, and limestone usually doesn't do so well in the tumbler with the agates.

maria, yes we receive peace in prayer and learn pr...

2009-09-09T12:17:40.793-05:00

maria, yes we receive peace in prayer and learn proper boundaries. it is here that we learn to live as One in Christ.

and Jeff, I like the rock tumbler idea. and I definitely agree with pride being the root of disunity.

gh

Geoff, I like the analogy of discipleship as a ro...

2009-09-08T23:00:46.601-05:00

Geoff,

I like the analogy of discipleship as a rock tumbler. When we live in close community we will certainly have conflict just as the rough edges on rocks in a tumbler rub against one another and help smooth and polish all the stones. If we live in isolation from one another, we may avoid conflict but are we really learning anything about living in Christ? Living in Christ's peace doesn't mean there is no conflict between us as Christians but that we are committed to one another and pursue reconciliation when we wound or are wounded by a brother or sister. Though it has many faces, I think pride is the culprit in breaking the spirit of unity.

By the way, Robert Frost is my favorite poet and I didn't even mention "Mending Wall" but my post is too long already.

Jeff Andrews

corporate peace or personal peace? Boundaries are...

2009-09-08T22:04:42.842-05:00

corporate peace or personal peace?

Boundaries are good, personal,interpersonal, corporately, etc. Crossing boundaries leads to conflicts. Not understanding boundaries leads to crossing them inadvertantly. Communication is the key to knowing boundaries. Prayer is what leads to personal peace. In prayer we discuss our boundaries with God: who he has made us to be, his control over our lives, offenses committed by our neighbor, and our choices to live within God's boundaries or not. We receive peace when we can accept his love and provision, accept who he made us to be, and submit to his way.

Thanks Ben. yeah, i'm thinking a lot about identi...

2009-09-08T21:43:01.822-05:00

Thanks Ben. yeah, i'm thinking a lot about identity and how our protection of these lead us out of peace, even when we are well meaning (i.e. arguing over how to follow Christ).

but can i still be a "hipster"? I mean I have a blog and a twitter account... :-)

gh

Geoff, we're preaching through Ephesians right now...

2009-09-08T21:14:32.608-05:00

Geoff, we're preaching through Ephesians right now, so we just had someone preach on this about a month ago.

I think Christians don't live in peace because we don't actually believe the gospel very well. We find it easier to buy into the stories our culture tells us, where we find our identity in who we exclude, whether it is another race, another nation, another political party, another aesthetic taste, or another musical preference.

In the True Story, the Gospel, there is no male or female, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, American or Iraqi, Democrat or Republican, hipster or yuppie, but we have a really hard time believing it because we spend a lot of time listening to the other stories.

So ultimately I think it comes down to the stories we believe and inhabit.