Is God really still active in our lives? Do you live like it?

I had someone pose this question to me the other day, and it has really stuck in my mind. I’m studying theology through a free seminary program. Throughout the courses I’ve taken so far we have spent a fair amount of time talking about worldviews. I think this one is worth blogging. Let me start by defining a few terms.

Worldview - A worldview consists of a series of assumptions/presuppositions that a person holds about reality. A worldview, consciously or subconsciously, affects the way a person evaluates every aspect of reality. Every person adheres to some sort of worldview, although one person may not be as consciously aware of it as another person. These presuppositions affect the thinking of every person in the world. It logically follows that the way a person thinks affects what a person does. The term worldview refers to any ideology, philosophy, theology, movement, or religion that provides an overarching approach to understanding God, the world, and man’s relations to God and the world. See the full definition of worldview here.

Below are two worldviews, there are others:

Theist - (e.g. Jew, Christian, Muslem) A theist believe in one supreme God, who created the universe and still has complete control and interacts with it.

Deist – A deist has a theistic believe that that same supreme God exists and created the universe, but does not intervene or interact in its day to day operation. It’s kind of like God created the universe and walked away from it.

So, to the question. Jen, what is your worldview? As a believer in Jesus Christ, I’d default to being a theist, but in reality I have to admit I live my life too often as a deist. What do I mean by that? I believe in one supreme God, who created the universe, is still in control and interacts with ever aspect of that universe today. But I will admit there are too many days in my life I confess to be a theist living as a deist. That bugs me. :\

I will admit my prayer life has a tendency to follow my life circumstance. Are you like this? I pray a lot when I need God, but some days I fall back into the self sufficient tendency and forget God is still very much involved in my daily life.

Over the new few posts I’m going to dig into this more. Hope you will challenge yourself to do the same. What is your worldview? Can others tell by the way you live your life?

everything I am is not all about me

I have a new favorite song. It’s by Salvador. It’s off their latest album called Aware. The song is called Aware. God has really been convicting my heart of who I am lately…especially in relation to others. Check out the lyrics..

Make me aware, make me see
That everything I am is not all about me

Our world socializes us to look out for ourselves before anyone or anything else. Subconsciously we hold onto something to keep from being sucked into this giant vortex of the mainstream. The media, politics, the fight for freedom of every kind (for crine out loud how much more freedom can we bare). Ok…so the media is really been bothering me lately. Sorry for that rant. So back to my conviction. *smile*

love the Lord with your mind

I made the decision to become a Christian a little over 10 years ago. My choice to accept Christ as my savior came with little intellectual pursuit. I was at a point in my life I wanted relief. Relief from an empty game; that taught being the best looking, the smartest, having the most friends, most significant career, most money, most things, would find the most significance. I was emotionally exhausted. I wanted something to fill a void I couldn’t explain nor understand. I was alone. I was on temporary assignment for work in a foreign country and I had just broken up with a guy who gladly acknowledged he didn’t believe in God. Looking back, it was definitely a pivotal moment in my life.

As I have grown in my faith loving God with my heart has come rather easy. Emotional experiences over the last 10 years have brought me a stronger faith and a stronger love for him. Loving God with my mind, however, is something I hadn’t truly focused on. Yeah, I understood the basics of what it meant to be a Christian, but I’d never learned the true origin of the bible, understood church history, or questioned the consistency of the gospel all these years. In fact I really didn’t seek knowing it in detail at all. That was until I moved to Colorado. Here, I’ve met many who question, probe, and even look down on a faith with little to no intellectual pursuit. As I have come to know..this was very different from Jesus time. Intellectual pursuit was very much a life focus in Jesus’ time. In Matthew 22:37 Jesus responds to a lawyer who is testing him. The laywer has asked Jesus to identify the greatest commandment of the law? Jesus responds with the following verse:

Mat 22:37 And He said to him, ” ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’

Not many words needed…

God’s free gift

I’ve been looking for a good presentation and just stumbled onto it tonight. For those of you kicking the tires on Christianity and wanting to understand more try walking through this presentation. If you have questions feel free to email me at jennivasquez @ gmail.com.

http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/index.asp

Reason for the hope that I have..

I had someone once tell me that you can learn a lot about someone by looking at their bookshelf.

I was thinking about that again this morning looking at my nightstand. I have about 15 or so books around my nightstand and to say I have diverse taste in reading topics is quite a laugh.

In the not so distant past my bookshelf was all about helping myself. Formulas for learning how to win and influence people, be better, faster, stronger, etc. I was obsessed with being my best. In high school it was sports, and grades, and usually in that order. In college it was more of the same although I had a much greater need to add “guys” to my list.  Into my career I wanted to be the best by making sure I was at the top of my skillset, working the hardest to meet the customer’s need and provide for the company I worked for. In my personal life I wanted to be the fit, healthy, and look younger than my age. As I became a Christian this same philosophy continued in my walk. I would do whatever I thought would help me better myself. Part of that would include reading constantly.

What defines me?

I’m working in my office (I work from home) waiting on some of my peers at work to join a conference call. Jordan and Joe are in the living room right below my office. She’s giggling as Joe tickles her tummy. I love the sound of her laugh. It’s so innocent…full of joy. I could have the worst day and it all seems to melt away with the sound of her laugh. I find that amazing, and evidence to God working in my life. 

“And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life.” 1 Corinthians 7:17 (MSG)

*smile* Reading that verse made me feel comfort and sent chills all at the same time. No matter my circumstance I can know I’m where I’m supposed to be. To some that might seem frightening, especially if you’d have some difficult circumstance recently. For me lately, despite some of my circumstance it’s intensely comforting. I’m protected, unconditionally loved. Some how there is peace even when circumstance is anything but peace-full.  

I attended a women’s retreat in Estes Park this weekend. It was the best retreat I’ve ever been too. 80 Christian women nestled in the mountains in cabins worshipping God. I’ve never experience anything so moving and intense, yet comforting and relaxing all at once. Hearing me say that might seem odd to a bystander, after hearing our conversation because a lot of the topics circled around pain and the things of this world we can’t control. We’re women. I want to know, to understand, to control. But with God a lot of the pain and circumstance I fight with I can’t know, I won’t ever understand or control it. As a Christian part of becoming more mature is persevering (to get too, I have to go through) and finding joy where ever I am…even if I can’t  understand why it’s happening or when it will end.

I wonder…if I were to die today, what would people say defined my life? I would hope some, at least those close to me would say God, however I can imagine a lot of people would say my work, my family, my drive or motivation, goals. I’m a do’er. I’m realizing at 36, that I no longer want to be a do’er. It’s not that I don’t like doing, I’m just realizing it’s not really my purpose in life. It’s not how I want my life defined. I’m here for one purpose..and one purpose only. To worship my maker. He is who defines my life, down to the hairs on my head and the last breath I take. I want to learn to live, and obey, and love, and believe right here, where God has me, every second of the day.

Lord please help me to bow my life…my will to you every second of my day, no matter my circumstance. I want to learn what it’s like to worship you with my life.