I love being able to ask questions. I am uncomfortable around people who are made uncomfortable by questions. Frequently there are no answers, but I enjoy the discussion. Why are some people uncomfortable with questions if they will not be held accountable to have the answer? Do you really think God is uncomfortable with our questions?
Academic freedom means you are free to ask questions. One of the many reasons why I love the community at George Fox Evangelical Seminary is because the professors are not afraid of questions. One of the unfortunate things about graduating is graduating. Most students who graduate are happy they graduated, but likewise sad. It is a part of life we miss once it is over. Why, because so many people, religious as well as atheists are afraid of questions, especially the questions asked in Seminary.
Speaking of academic freedom, may I suggest the Ben Stein documentary Expelled? I think truth is truth wherever you find it. Will we draw any closer to truth if we are not permitted to ask questions?
We have questions about ourselves and our place in the scheme of things. We wonder why God does this or doesn’t do that. Many of us doubt the existence of God. Have you noticed that unanswered questions never go away? People have always tried to stop the questions about God, without success. So I have a question. Do you want to know about God or do you want to know God?
I love making and watching videos. However, my best videos of the Oregon coast are nothing compared to being there. Watching a great video does not allow you to feel the sand between your toes, the wind in your face, taste the salt in the air or hear the crashing waves. Aristotle thought our idea of reality was a shadow on a cave wall.
Movies and books are likewise only shadows. Sometimes they can bring the past or the future into the present in an imaginative way, but it will never be the same as the real thing. Hearing someone talk or teach about God can never compare to the unexplainable experience of encountering God yourself. I love to ask people about their encounters with God. People who don't believe in God sometimes call these coincidences, despite the statistics.
We must live in the ‘now’ if we want to live, but to forget who and what shaped and molded us into who we are is a mistake. In Soaring in the Spirit (Faith in an Emerging Culture) Chuck Conniry writes, “Either we will be conformed by the molding influences of the present age or we will be transformed by renewed minds, by minds that have been shaped and reshaped, like clay in the Potters hands, by the moment by moment discipline of being conscious of the mystery of Christ's presence.” Being conscious of God’s presence gives credibility to other people as well as our environment. It means that whether you or I believe it or not, neither of us is the center of the universe, and that's good!
I resonate with John Donne’s great words about no man being an island. I embrace the mystery of God. I find joy in butterflies, sunsets, rain, the laughter of children and my Lily’s hugs and kisses. I see little things; random acts of kindness, someone sharing chocolate (thank you Carole), innocent in their spontaneity. So many things bring joy when we allow them too.
When death came, Mikell said, “Life is not lost by dying. Life is lost day by day in small, uncaring ways. Life is a miracle. Choose life and live it with joy!"
In a world of questions, who but God could bring such wisdom from Mikell's breaking heart? I vote to let the questions continue.
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