tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010663855553878264.post7871104898225799550..comments2024-01-04T16:42:00.771-08:00Comments on My Little Corner of the World: Old Theological Fires, Quakes, and BooksDavid Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07594244647778062784noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010663855553878264.post-81753464728430055612011-03-18T10:47:45.151-07:002011-03-18T10:47:45.151-07:00You know those movie scenes where the aerial scene...You know those movie scenes where the aerial scene starts on the ground and rapidly scans upward panoramically to include the entire town, then the state, followed by all of the US, until the earth is a small object? I believe that’s how we are to “see” devastation, death, and events that just don’t go our way. Reset your sites; keep your eyes on the prize. If we believe all things happen for good then the following must be true regarding the earthquake God orchestrated and warned about: Some saints went to live with Christ; some went to live with their own kind (which could be called hell); some experienced a giant wake-up call regarding their life; some will get food and medical attention that has eluded them for years as aid pours in (Tokyo may be dazzling, but that’s because they don’t allow their impoverished/homeless to come into the city). God, who allows us all to experience suffering, can use these theological conundrums for enormous good. The US’s turn is coming, and if we don’t develop this kind of site, we’ll be doomed to bitterness and hatred of God. The Apostle Paul calls it “light and momentary afflictions,” and often it hasn’t felt like either of those throughout my life. The death that those “afflictions” has caused to my warped soul over the past 20+ years have not only blessed myself and my family, but have freed me to become a smidge closer to my savior and brought be closer to the goal. <br /><br />Beth A.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010663855553878264.post-66438215638264022052011-03-17T13:49:16.024-07:002011-03-17T13:49:16.024-07:00Ah, long, rich comments! Me likey! No, strike that...Ah, long, rich comments! Me likey! No, strike that... me lovey!<br /><br />1. The issue isn't so much if God knows when/where/how, but rather does He instigate it. Does He decide when/where/how, and make it happen. Or does He watch it happen, and intervene if/when He wants, based on His own will? Does that make sense?<br /><br />2. I have my own theories on why God created this earth, and why He'll create a new heaven/earth, but that's grist for another post, methinks...<br /><br />3. Does He personally move the earth around the sun, or did He create the system by which the earth moves around it? Like building a toy, winding it up and letting it move based on it's design. Or does He move every part of the toy?<br /><br />4. Death is the last enemy... how can it be "to the good"?<br /><br />5. To me, as great as it would seem to think of God as personally, intimately involved in every detail of this world and it's people, it seems infinitely greater to me to think He set the creation in motion, and lets things play out according to the way He designed them. More on this later.<br /><br />6. Yeah, no concrete answers, I've been hearing that a lot lately. Someone recently told me, in reference to the question of "where God came from", that there are some things that we just are not supposed to know.<br /><br />I'll check out that article, thanks for the link.David Wagnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07594244647778062784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010663855553878264.post-84590859415947975442011-03-16T09:34:00.161-07:002011-03-16T09:34:00.161-07:00Part Two
Holy cow, that video was crazy. I would ...<b>Part Two</b><br />Holy cow, that video was crazy. I would probably be freaking out if I saw something like that. Makes me think back to school and learning about liquefaction, when the ground shakes and vibrates so much that the soil behaves like water. Crazy stuff.<br /><br />So, you've surpassed my progress on <i>Wise Man's Fear</i>. I'm on page 520 or so, so just over the 50% mark. I've <b>really</b> enjoyed it so far, but two friends have told me they had some minor problems with the ending and the rest of the book. I suppose I shall see.<br /><br />I'm conflicted about the HBO series. It looks awesome, but, it's HBO, so it'll definitely need some editing. (Granted, the books could use some, too, but it's important to the story.) Regardless, I think I'll probably try to watch it when it comes to video or Netflix.<br /><br />WV: exabsynx. That word just looks cool.logankstewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010663855553878264.post-37244666962555663592011-03-16T09:30:08.958-07:002011-03-16T09:30:08.958-07:00Part OneHeavy stuff, Dave. I suppose I'll off...<b>Part One</b>Heavy stuff, Dave. I suppose I'll offer my opinions and therefore produce the longest comment ever on your blog (it may take multiple parts).<br /><br /><b>1.</b> Yes, God knows exactly when, where, how everybody will die. I take the word "appointed" in Hebrews 9:27 to mean that we have a specific date fixed, and that when that day arrives it's over.<br /><br /><b>2.</b> I view natural disasters as direct problems stemming from Original Sin. After Man's sin, the earth was contaminated, and sin brought about tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. Just as Man was cursed to die because of sin, so too was the earth cursed to die, which is why God will create a New Heaven and New Earth. (Not sure if that means a physically new place or if God will just purge and clean the earth, creating it anew.)<br /><br /><b>3.</b> God is directly involved in every thing that has ever happened and will ever happen on earth. He is sovereign over everything, causing the sun to rise on the just and unjust, sending the rain on the righteous and unrighteous (Matt 5:45). <br /><br /><b>4.</b> God ordains disaster (Isaiah 45:7), working out in all things to the good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Does that mean that death is to the good? Yes, for the Christian, who would qualify as one who "loves God" in 8:28, death is an eternally good thing, bringing him in the presence of the Lord. For those that don't love God, i.e. the lost, all things still work out according to God's will, though just not for the good for them.<br /><br /><b>5.</b> The real question, for me, is how much God micromanages the individual, not so much the world. It's the old Calvinism thought verses Arminianism, election verses free-will. Parts of me believe that God is sovereign and wise enough to know, pre-elect, and pre-determine everything. Then parts of me scream no, that's not it at all, that He created us with free will and choice. (Inevitably, my thoughts are always drawn to <i>The Matrix</i>.)<br /><br />In the end, there's no concrete answers. God is in control of everything, even in the devastation in Japan. He has His reasons for allowing it to happen as surely as He has His reasons for allowing one soldier to die and another to live. I take comfort in knowing that His thoughts are not my thoughts and that they are so much higher than mine that I can never hope to comprehend them (Isaiah 55:8,9).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.epm.org/resources/2010/Mar/25/gods-and-humanitys-roles-natural-disasters/" rel="nofollow">This</a> is a pretty interesting article about God's position with natural disasters. Also, if you google "David Platt natural disasters" you'll see a great PDF article on how to respond to disasters.<br /><br />WV: wighes, which sounds like "wise" when read aloud, which seems poignant here.logankstewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com