Estimated reading time: 7 minute(s)
Recently, following the post on Contrived vs Spontaneous Christianity, I had a few conversations with friends re: the thoughts posted there. I am still chewing on all of that (my thoughts and theirs) so I thought I would post some of them here this morning.
Here is an IM conversation with a friend re: all this stuff. This friend was concerned that by “eliminating” one box, I am just creating another. Let’s join the conversation…
Me: nice!
Me: i gotcha thinking, eh?!
Me: whoohooo
Me: now don’t you worry your little head bout me makin no box now, y’hear?
Me: that’s the furthest thing from my mind
Me: but somehow, whenever we say one thing, everyone makes the “rest” of the “box” for us
Friend: oh… i’m implying that anytime we say something about God, we’ll be making a box…
Friend: again, not good or bad, more just an is thing
Me: right
Friend: and so, we’re choosing one box for another box
Friend: which is always fun.
Me: except at some point, if we can really somehow understand that we don’t have any corner on the truth market… then perhaps we can really live free of boxes?
Friend: the idea of spontaneity somehow makes it feel less like a box, but it still is… in some ways…
Me: right
Me: if you are restricted to spontaneity
Friend: well, we can live in the understanding that what we think is a box, and what others think … also a box…
Friend: and thus live learn from one another’s boxes
Friend: and continually live humbly
Me: i think inherent within the word (at least the one i meant) is the idea that you are not confined to any one specific thing or way of doing things
Friend: knowing that we can’t understand god outside of a box
Me: hmm
Me: that’s a little too far out there for me
Friend: really?
Friend: i thought you’d jump right on that
Me: i don’t mean wrong… i mean i’m not follwing ya
Friend: oh…
Friend: ok…
Friend: let me try this
Me: you don’t think it’s possible to not have a box?
Me: you must have some big boxes
Friend: not this side of heaven.
Me: hmm
Friend: everytime i think about God…
Friend: i have to put God in some sort of box.
Friend: either the box of my understanding
Friend: or my language structure
Me: because there is a limit to everything we can understand, and thus four walls of a box?
Friend: yes!
Me: hmm
Friend: but God is in fact far beyond that
Me: that’s a mighty big box there
Friend: Even as far as i can possibly stretch myself… God is well bigger than that.
Me: we are probably saying the same thing
Friend: so, even then, i have to confine God somehow
Friend: i think we are
Me: i do not want to limit God to any way of doing things
Friend: right
Me: that’s what I mean by “spontaneous” christianity
Me: i don’t mean flippant, or not “purposeful”
Friend: i think my only add on is that God is big enough to do great things through pre-planned, organized, rooted things
Me: though that word makes me shiver a bit as the wonderful world of christian marketing flashes PDL books before my very eyes
Me: i think i mentioned that
Me: good does come from those
Me: but wouldn’t more good come from a life that is open to God’s daily leading
Me: not our own whim
Me: but his plan, his leading, his will
Me: not our plan, our leading, our structure, our organizing
Me: i guess that’s all i mean
Me: his way is better
Me: not that ours is bad
Me: except that there’s something better perhaps
Friend: i think that you’re implying that ‘our own whim’, or our planning and structures, are not malliable to God’s will and can’t yield equally good results as being structureless
Friend: is that accurate?
Me: i meant “our own whim” for the negative side of spontaneity
Friend: gotcha
Me: planning and structure is fine
Friend: ok… i read that as contrived
Me: but, it says all of the people whom we are subjecting to said plan/structure need to hear this same thing at the same time in the same way from God and need to respond to him in a similar same-ness kinda manner
Friend: hm… maybe
Friend: i’m not thinking it implies that people will hear the same thing at the same time… and i’m not sure that it implies that all should respond in the same manner… but i can and have seen group-think take over groups of people who are given to structures…
Friend: but i’m not willing to throw out the baby with the bathwater either.
Friend: there’s something uniting about encountering God in groups.
Me: yes… there is something very cool that he designed into togetherness
Me: when we do stuff together (like a band, perhaps?) it is somehow magical
Friend: agreed
Me: it’s almost just that the group thing or the structure or the contrived is another “thing”
Me: it’s an addition
Me: it’s a middle thing
Me: it’s in between
Me: it complicates
Me: complicated can be fun, and can add
Me: but it definitely adds
Me: to the simplicity of a relationship with a real and present and loving father/God
Friend: oh dear… i really want to comment on that… but have to run
Me: ha ha
Friend: why you gotta stir the stuff when i have to go!
Me: you stirred Me as i recall
Me: no prob
Me: later
Friend: bye for now
An interesting conversation with some interesting points. I still maintain that following God’s spontaneous (read: current, in the moment, now) lead (not my own, or reacting according to my current mood) is much simpler, and perhaps more pure… even… dare I say… “better”? than anything we could come up with on our own for our relationship with him.
Another interesting thought came in an email from a friend:
I’m not so sure artificial and pretend are the best descriptors, but I’ll use it anyway: some artificial things have value too…. [his wife]’s gardens (she works for the city park board) are magical… see attached. They’re completely artificial, but they reveal the beauty of creation – both in the flowers themselves, and in the artificial arrangement of those flowers (creation being God’s gift to Corrie). I think even a “scheduled” worship service or a church-wide (institutional church that is) service project (our church painted the interior of the local rundown middle school) can do the same – opening our eyes to how God works in those around us, and as a team/body.
Just to clarify, my friend meant that the flowers are artificially arranged and positioned. As opposed to just happening with no human intervention. It was an interesting thought, considering he is saying that as we arrange gardens to create “contrived” beauty, we do the same with a “contrived” worship service. It is a planned moment, arranging pieces to display the beauty of God in a contrived setting.
In response, I’d say that’s very true. Sometimes the things that we can create (contrive) can really capture the beauty of God’s world and say or show something in a super powerful way. But do you remember the last time you looked up at a towering, snow covered mountain? Or perhaps looked out over a vast valley from up on that mountain? Or maybe when you discovered a little hidden field or stream or other “natural” arrangement of beauty? The experience can be completely breath taking. Often, we can find ourselves more taken aback by something “naturally occuring” than by something we have created ourselves?
Friend, don’t get me wrong… I like your wife’s garden. 🙂
Thing is… we settle for less. While the stuff we make can be fantastic, because we are creators in the image of our Creator Father. He has built that into us. So we can put together meaningful and beautiful (and yes, contrived 🙂 arrangements of whatever we happen to be arranging… and it’s wonderful. But how much more wonderful when it is something led by him, his agenda, his plan, his schedule, his IDEA…
That’s what I’m talking about. Pure, unadulterated, adventurous life with a living God who wants to live every moment with ME! He’s not looking for rituals or to fit into our schedule for his working… he wants us to follow HIM.
At least… that’s what he’s telling me.
🙂