This is just a whole bunch of thoughts that I've had over the last few weeks and months in raw form. Some of these thoughts are just a regurgitation of things I've heard and read, others of them are originals, and there are probably several that are a little bit of both.
Here is my thought vomit:
1) When electing a government official, which is more important for a Christian: 1) The candidate agrees with you on all the issues or 2) The candidate is a Christian who truly seeks to live a Christ-like life (but doesn't necessarily feel the same way about the issues that you do)?
2) The divorce rate in the Christian church is almost identical to the divorce rate outside the church. In order not to make anyone feel bad, a lot of pastors don't really talk about divorce directly anymore from the pulpit. Now, a lot of church-goers don't realize that "irreconcilable differences" or "we don't love each other anymore" or "we're just not happy" don't excuse the evilness of divorce. Pretty much, if there isn't abuse or infidelity, God wants you to stay married! But we don't like preaching that anymore.
I know everyone is really tired of hearing about homosexuality (me included), but what will happen if we just stop talking about it?
3) My wife and I have been living off of the miraculous provision of God for several months now...our paychecks just don't cut it. How long is too long to be in this sort of a situation?
4) I recently heard that "death is for us," because death is something that is God's hands. No one dies except when God wants them to. Is this biblical? "Where O death is your sting?" I always thought that the Bible explains death as a result of sin. "For the wages of sin is death."
5) Why do people buy the newest versions of Madden, NBA Live, NCAA, etc. if they have an old version? Is it just for the new rosters? (which you could update yourself on the old version?!)
6) Why have I not read anything by Francis Chan? This video is awesome:
Catalyst East 2010: Francis Chan from Catalyst on Vimeo.
7) Why is Fantasy Football so addicting?
8) As a spouse or parent, how many books do you read on the subject? I haven't read too much at all on being a husband recently and sometimes I feel like I'm a slacker husband. Does reading help you remember to do the things you know you're supposed to do?
9) How much authority/responsibility does a pastor have in the lives of his/her congregants? If your pastor knows that you are struggling in personal areas, would you want your pastor to approach you on the issue or just be available if you go to him/her?
10) How much time do y'all spend with your family each week?
11) Why do people mourn death? If a Christian dies he/she is with God. If a non-Christian dies, I'm not sure where they are until the judgment, but it's probably not a good place. I suppose I understand why it would make a person sad if someone close to them who wasn't a Christian died. I haven't really been able to figure out what's so sad about a Christian going to be with God. I have to admit that I haven't lost anyone super close, but I still wonder sometimes why that's a sad thing. It would be difficult to readjust to life without such a person, I am sure. Not having experienced such loss makes me think about what it will feel like someday, I guess.
12) We just had an awesome prayer revival at our church with Rev. Nathan Covington. The two Sundays since this revival have been obviously different. I believe this is because people are praying. What can we do to make sure we don't stop praying? I don't mean so our services will be good, but because prayer is something that often falls by the wayside in busy or stressful times.
Ok. I guess I will limit the thought regurgitation to 12 things. I hope it made you think!
Thanks for the mention!
I appreciate a good Thought Vomit every now and then.
Ok, so I'll take a shot at one of the really hard ones--"Why do people mourn death?" I used to wonder this same thing. But you can't really argue that it's appropriate, since mourning is such a human condition, and maybe even biblical. So now I think that death is just WRONG; it wasn't part of God's original plan, it was a disruption of the original plan. And we feel that disruption every time we face death.
I'm a few months late on the post but I feel compelled to share a little. "Why do people mourn death?" attracted my attention as well. I share this story as a result of experiencing the deaths of both of my wife's parents. Approaching it from an entirely academic standpoint, as you have, means that we miss the entire act of compassionate love Jesus showed to Mary and Martha at the passing of Lazarus.
The Author of Life stands at the graveside, knowing what lies ahead of him, knowing he would defeat death, experiences the pain of separation that death brings. Jesus, who will personally triumph over death and the pain it causes, is moved to tears. He does this because he so identifies with the human condition of pain.
If Jesus, who could (and did) do all of this, knowing the victory that was coming, and was still moved to tears in sympathy, we should also take time to mourn. Knowing there is life after death does not eliminate the process of grieving through which we all must progress. If we do not progress, we become arrested and that can crop up in destructive ways. Death and pain are unnatural to Creation. Death and pain will come to an end. But, as of now, experiencing these two realities of life will rearrange almost everything you thought you believed.