Parable of the Young Man and the Wings

Once there was a young man who lived in a village where people owned vineyards. His father had just passed away and left him his vineyard, but he did not have any shoes. Now, it was important to have shoes to own a vineyard in that area. So one day, as he was walking around his land, the young man found an old hermit stuck in a hole and pulled him out. The hermit was grateful and offered the young man one of two gifts. "You may take these shoes and they can be yours, or you can take these wings to fly around the world wherever you want for 24 hours." The young man was intrigued by the offer to be able to fly like the birds, so he accepted the wings and began his flight. After soaring around the world for nearly a day, he headed back home. However, when he was almost home, the wings disappeared from his back. The young man fell down onto a rosebush and badly scraped his feet. Since he was unable to walk to health, he bled to death after three days.

Honest Confessions of a Simple Disciple

About a month ago, I graduated college with a degree in Religion from a private Christian university. It is amazing how much I have learned in the past 2 and a half years and most of it didn't come from a class. The greatest thing that I have learned is that Christianity isn't about what we do, it's about who we do it for and what he did for us. to sum up the Christian life: love God, love people...that's it. at least that's basically how Jesus put it in Matthew 22:37-40.

That's great and all, but the problem is, why can't I do it? It is simple to go to church every Sunday, play in a worship band and sing pretty songs, and even think about God constantly, but why can I not feel his power? That is probably because it's a struggle to read the Bible for me. Does this make me a bad person? There are some awesome things in the Bible, but for some odd reason, I can't find the desire to read. Does this desire come from God? Ultimately, I have found myself at a weird place in my life where I can't hear the person that I have given my life to serve, therefore, I don't know what to do, or what move to make. All around me people say, "Don't make a move until you are certain that it is God's will" or "Make the move, and if it's not God's will, he'll stop it" or "Make the Move and God will work it out." In case you haven't noticed, these contradict. I guess this boils down to "Listen to what God has to say." Oh great, another cliche. I know that God can speak to us in different ways, but for the most part, he hasn't really ever spoken to me, I've just always ended up doing what I figured was the right thing to do. The voice inside me that was speaking was my own.

I'm not doubting my mortality or even the existence of God, I've just become skeptical of the way we view God's will or how he works in our lives. I guess the answers are to be found through reading, searching, praying, and listening. Which brings me back to square one. I think I know what Paul meant when he said, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:15,19) I find myself in the trap of consistency, blah, and honestly...apathy, sheer apathy.

I am not saying any of this to throw a pity party or anything else like that, I really just want to honestly write what I feel and hopefully someone may read this and see that they aren't the only one that struggles. Truthfully, followers of Christ probably struggle more than most. Maybe if we did it more openly, others will see us for who we really are...people, rather than pious hypocrites. Anyway...

Peace Hope and Love

Sad State of Our World

On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we wont understand
Dont accept that whats happening
Is just a case of others suffering
Or youll find that youre joining in
The turning away

Its a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that were all alone
In the dream of the proud

On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night

No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
Its not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that therell be
No more turning away?

-On the Turning Away, Pink Floyd

I know it's corny to post song lyrics, but I wanted to get a first post down, and I'm kinda in a hurry. More to come...