Author: kevingdrendel

I am sixtiesh, an English Literature major in college and an attorney by profession. Faith informs my life, and this blog is about my faith journey.

Seeking God: Different Paths

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(c) Can Stock Photo

(c) Can Stock Photo

Finding Jesus Part III

In Finding Jesus Part I (Seeking God: When God Does Not Answer)), we explored the idea that God is near us at all times; that we do not actually “find” God; that we are the problem; that we get in the way of “finding” God; and in order to “find God”, we must get out of the way and do the unthinkable – lose ourselves [1].

In Finding Jesus Part II (Seeking God: Getting to the End of Self), we explored what it means to be in the way, to lose ourselves and get out of the way, with an anecdotal example from my own life.

But we need to explore that a bit further before getting to the conclusion: finding Jesus. And it may help to contrast what getting to the end of self (losing the self) means in the Christian sense compared to the Buddhist sense because finding the right path is important to getting where you want to go.

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Seeking God: Finding Jesus!

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(c) Can Stock Photo

(c) Can Stock Photo

I started on a journey to “truth” when I was in high school that continued into college. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but I was confident truth could be known. I didn’t know where I would find it, but I sensed intuitively that truth was accessible and all around us. I looked anywhere and everywhere, in all the writers, thinkers, philosophers and, last of all, religious leaders that seemed to speak confidently on the subject.

I found what I was looking for. Whether it is, “The Truth” will only be confirmed in the hereafter, but I know this for a certainty: that the inner hunger and drive that I had when I was younger was met when I encountered Jesus Christ!

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Donald Trump, the Zealot

Trump has emerged as a chosen king, rallying the subjects to take over and displace the present occupiers.

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Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Gage Skidmore/Flickr

When Trump first announced his presidential intentions, it seemed to me like a reality show stunt. It was like a distraction from “the real the thing”, the serious business of presidential primaries that will determine the only choices that we have next November.

Now that Trump, the reality show candidate, is increasingly likely to become Trump, the presidential candidate, I have been unsure how to put it in perspective. Trump, the caricature, seems to be Trump, the real deal. Even as he polarizes people who are already quite polarized, he gains in popularity and delegates to the convention where he will likely be the “popular” choice.

I do not need to recount the number of ways that Trump has failed to exhibit the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The stories are now legion. The examples of mocking a disabled man, or cheering while people are forcibly removed from his audience or statements about punching people in the face are played over and over on social media like a parade of “fail” videos.

Meanwhile, Trump is not just polarizing the haves and have-nots and the Democrats and Republicans; he is polarizing Republicans and Republicans. More importantly, and more significantly, to me, Trump is polarizing Christians, even those who call themselves Evangelical Christians.

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The Lord is Our Righteousness

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Sunscreen

Paul says if we have hope only in this life, we (the followers of Christ) should be pitied above all people (1 Corinthians 15:19). On the other hand, if we have no hope for life beyond, our lives are in vain from the start. We are no better off than beasts. We might as well not even be born, says the writer of Ecclesiastes. (Ecclesiastes 4:3)

If you think about it, what is the span of a person’s life compared to time? It is even less compared to eternity. Our lives are like a vapor that appears, and then is gone. (James 4:14) The word picture is what you see when you breath hard into the bitter cold air. The breath appears and disappears as fast as it appears.

I have been reading through the Old Testament, and I am in Jeremiah now. In chapter 23, Jeremiah talks about God being angry with prophets who give people false hope, who tell people who have stubbornly gone their own ways that “all will be well” with them.

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Why does God let people suffer? Why is there so much evil in the world?

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The problem of evil is an emotional one, but not difficult in the end. Wintery Knight summarizes a good essay on the subject in this piece I am reblogging:

“I just wanted to draw your attention to this 4 page essay by Joe Manzari, which is the best darn summary of the state of the art on the problems of evil and suffering I have seen. The problem of evil…

Source: Why does God let people suffer? Why is there so much evil in the world?