Soren Sorely Sought Solidarity

But, there is nothing new under the sun.

Recently reading Soren Kierkegaard’s “Fear and Trembling” has got me thinking about postmodernism, truth and reality and why we seem to have such trouble defining them. Soren wasn’t too well liked in his day, maybe because like any good philosopher he questioned a lot of popular premises, but like a child reacting to a parent’s heavy hand, he utilized the premise he criticized.

In his preface to “ Fear and Trembling,” Soren seems to be frustrated with “the new generation” for beginning where every other generation ended up. (Most ancients began doubting and questioning after lives of self deprivation, study and seeking wisdom, whereas his peers began doubting and questioning without enduring the proper steps as did their elders. )Though building on another’s framework seems to be highly celebrated in business, politics, industry and family wealth, Soren keenly pointed out that there is then something lost in the sincerity of that henceforth achieved.

Privilege of doubting without the struggle of searching promotes devaluation of wisdom which turns healthy reverence into sinister criticism and careless dismissal much like Prince Charles and Harry expend the popularity of their envied lineage. Unfortunately, Soren himself popularized the same sort of trend with more dangerous tools than misplaced criticism or reckless squandering.......

Those are the tools of faith and fact, placed on the potter’s wheel of existentialism and postmodernism as effectually as Soren retold the story of Abraham and Isaac. Soren recapitulated the philosophy he criticized but more dangerously cloaked in the guise of reform. Most commonly known as a “fresh look,” a “fresh gospel,” or “a different light,” but “what happened to the days of John Adams when facts were known as “stubborn things?” Facts are stubborn things yet, for though we have left behind fact in pursuit of fiction and fantastic illusions of life, facts will stubbornly return to our reality or the reality of our children with the jealousy of a woman scorned, and we will not be able to ignore them.

This will be well illustrated in the current financial crisis. For while philosophies devoid of fact, and banknotes devoid of currency flirt with speculation, possibility, and human nature, the deficit of these are more patiently waiting their eager and painful revenge. Because like hard cash, facts cannot be at their core manipulated or corrupted. They can be temporarily inflated, uselessly tossed about, or denied, but there is a fortunate, created order that will set all things back in motion as they should be, and mankind will once more have a chance to seek Soren’s solidarity.

back in black

So I am now back in the US after 6 months in Europe, and what a relief it is to be back! Not only because I am working again and get to see my fiancee often, but I forgot how free we are in America! If someone wants to do something here, they can, and though it has its disadvantages for the victims of hedonism, freedom is a blessing for the rest of us.

I am thinking about how to integrate the Christ-like principles I learned from life there into life here with a different mindset and practices. Like having to see how much I have depended on material possessions for my security and peace of mind. When the ability to affect the state of these things was lost by leaving the country, I had to trust in the Lord, and I realized how difficult it is.

I have also come to see how prosperous our culture is, and even myself. Though I have never lacked, I never saw myself as rich until I visited countries where poverty means something different. I think it would be more striking to visit southeast Asia or Africa.

I have also been convicted about the extreme waste that we as North Americans support for convenience sake. Though the Bible doesn't say too much about this, I can't help but feeling guilty for using so much and throwing away more. A friend of mine just started working for 1-800 GOT JUNK and he was telling me how much almost new stuff he sees ditched every day. I think it says something about a culture when we can hire people to not only deliver new things, but to also take away the things we don't want to trash them simply because there is an excess. It used to be that things were consumed when there was a want or need. Now, consummation is an addiction, maybe even an a god

Should Christians be setting different trends? Why?

my camera is broken. sorry no more pictures of Holland and the Corrie Ten Boom Huis.....

I am excited to come back to America, but I am enjoying my 11 days in Holland. I am getting a lot of course work done for Tyndale, and having a great time with Ariel's family.

Les Sept Laux

The last post's pictures were taken on the mountain in the far left of this first photo right above the guy's head. The French Alpes are beautiful and it has been a privilege to stay here for the past 6 months and traverse all over them.






Sort of bizarre seeing this here but really neat at the same time.

steel mills and toyotas

Grenoble- from the Bastille. What a view! I was wondering why I kept getting sick, but then I realized that it might have been that entire steel mill I breathed in. If you look closely you can see it floating around in the sky.
Harriet, Joram, Rebekah and I some others went up a mountain. It was quite a view also though I wouldn't recommend hiking in snow without snow shoes. There is also Mont Blanc (the tallest mountain in Europe) in the center of this photo.
I think this picture clearly shows the steel mill. It is between the tops of the mountains and the tops of the hills.
This might not look like much, and it wasn't much...room, that is. We were all four crammed into the back of a Toyota something. I think it was too skinny for production in America. Normally they tell you how many airbags they put in your car, but they were telling us how many cars they put into their airbags. WHAT?!?!?

spelling lesson

I guess "Eiffel" is spelled like that and not this "Effiel."

I am embarrassed but this is what I get for learning a second language. I have forgotten the first, which is a problem because I can't write in the second yet either.

What is even more embarrassing is that I was corrected by someone for whom English is a third language.

Thanks Joram.

Chasing Shadows

I have been thinking about how we prefer suck on the wrapper of life than eat the candy God provides. When we are given an opportunity to store up candy for the future, we more often opt to chew the wrapper for taste right now. This sounds a bit ridiculous in this context, but we often do this in our spiritual life. God promises us every good thing that we could possibly want, but the attainment of these good things does not come 'til the future. Like the Holy Spirit is a guarantee of our future inheritance in Heaven, God has given us shadows of future glory on earth. These come in the way of relationships, places, possessions, entertainment and food. All these things will be present in Heaven in some perfect way for us to enjoy in the presence of God, but attaining them requires present sacrifice and difficulty on earth. Because God is good, He has given us true joy in sacrifice and every spiritual blessing in earthly trials, but why do we settle for the shadows?

Why do we spend our energy searching out satisfaction in present relationships, entertainment, or possessions? These things are just shadows of our future hope and glory. My shadow tends to be the places I find myself. I like to make them comfortable, without stress or tension, and friendly. Sometimes God chooses to bless me with these things, but more often than not, I will have to wait 'til heaven to experience the perfect place. I can spend all my time trying to find or create or fix this shadow, but it will never work. Well, it might, but when life is dead and gone, I will have to forgo the words, "well done my good and faithful servant." Instead I would get, "Well done on the shadow chasing, you can now enter the shadow you chased......... the shadow of the blessing you would have obtained if you sought first My Kingdom." I know that I don't want to be caught chewing short-lived sweetness from a plastic wrapper when I am called on to enjoy it's contents.