Ma Ma Jacquie's Blah Blah Blog

I needed to read that this morning, Jacrabbit! I'm going to go spend some time in nature today...even if it is just taking a walk over to the park so I can look at the ocean for a bit.
 

where did you get that picture?
 

It says "Timothy Swope 2005" in the lower right hand corner.

I first thought that you had taken the pic, Jacrabbit.
 

i snagged it off the internet. but it is actually a picture of emma wood.
 

I just finished reading through Psalms and praising God for his creation was something that really stood out to me. Just being able to enjoy His creation is such a gift.
 

The weird thing is, is that it is not that creation is beautiful (except that God defines beautiful), but that we are programmed to observe creation as beautiful, because we are created in his image; and He is not going to create something He finds ugly. I conclude that because after all accounts of him creating things He then stated that "[it] is good".

It’s a little bit weird to me that good is good only because good is God or God is good (however you are comfortable with the statement, although it is the same in either order. I could type “Good is God” to make the phrase more palapable). Therefore anything God says is good is good, like destroying a generation of Egyptians, or nuking Sodom, or allowing Britney Spears to exist, or creating a reality in which he knew parts of his creation would unwittingly choose a torturous eternity separated from Him.

I guess I don't understand perfect grace.


I am tired, so I won't type anymore. You're welcome.
 

It's strange that we define God in our human languages, therefore He is somewhat defined to us humans on our terms. So, to say "God is Good" probably doesn't even scratch the surface of who God is. But since we are made in His image, like you say, we can kind of assume, I think, that the things that really move our souls as "good" are also a dim reflection of His character. I still don't have my mind at ease about the torturous eternity, yet. (Don't tell all my "born again" frends.) I can't express my dilema, because I haven't been able to put it into words that don't make me sound like a God-hating heathen (which everyone knows I am not, right?), but I have a few questions, to say the least. Nonetheless, I have chosen to put my faith in the God who created beautiful sunsets, breathtaking mountains and adorable little babies.
 

The whole thing you said about the "God is good" statement was what I was saying. The term "God is good" is not defining or describing God at all. What it is really doing is saying that good is God. Good is good because God defines good. So to say God is good is like saying God is God.
 

Yeah. I know. I was agreeing in my own words.
 

The torturous eternity thing is probably one of the easier things to explain in my mind, although I could be wrong, and I think we have to recognize that by definition (as Randy said before) we are not in a position to evaluate whether anything God does is good, since he necessarily defines that term.

For me, the "bad" possibility of being separated from God is necessary in order to make the choice to be with him possible, which is a "better" good than everyone just being forced into it. Just like when he sent Jesus to die; this was obviously a "bad" thing (possibly the worst thing ever), but it was necessary in order to make the best thing ever be possible.
 

I think every language has an anticlimatic way about it, probably because we are using our human terminology to describe something indescribable. But you wouldn't think the english language was so blah if you listened to Dick Williams!
 

Who is Dick Williams?
 

Remember the guy we told you to come hear because he was so poetic? That's him.
 

Oh yeah. Him.