2 for 1 deal

I know it may not make lot of sense to read only one side of a conversation but I'm trying to only post my own thoughts and lately I haven't had much time to turn my correspondence into essay form.

RE: Mentorship

In my experience the person who has spoken the most truth into my life is my friend Rick. He's only about 6 months older than myself. When I look at the nature of things in a healthy culture, part of learning something is turning to the next person and teaching it. So I'd say that a seven year old has something to teach a six year old, and should be encouraged to do so. I've learned a lot from a peer mentor group, mainly because my idea of accountability is to empower the people in my life to hold me accountable to the projects God is working on in me. (As apposed to them all trying to guide me in the fashion their experience tells them is right.) So like Brian said, get that group of men around whom you can be transperent. The main quality you all must have is a commitment to implementing the victory Christ is working in your life even if it causes emberasment sometimes.

The other model I see in a healthy culture (our own culture has some good things but has lost some other good things) is how they treat the sages amongst them. I think Brian is right on here. Seek out a trustworthy mentor. Even if you just have lunch together every two weeks. We neglect the wisdom of those who've been walking with God for a long time at our own detriment.

RE:Peter Pan Syndrome/Adultascents
I think there's a couple things going on there as well, but I do agree that some of it is Peter Pan Syndrome. I know one of those guys too.

But in defense of a lot of guys, the economy is in the toilette. The business guy on fox news the other day was recommending things you could do before closing up shop on your small business; one of which was moving back in with your parents. He was indicating paying them rent, not mooching, but the idea was sound. They get a little doe for a house they've probably paid for, and you get cheaper rent in exchange for grabbing things down from a top shelf for your mother. In itself moving home is not a sign that you aren't growing up.

There are some articles on the phenomenon sociologists are now calling adultascent, which is men and women over 21 that live at home with mom and dad. There is some indication that the issue is cultural on two levels. One the first level they are not growing up. They are not being initiated by parents and having that reinforced by society. I think that's a legitimate concern and probably what you are referring to.

One the second level, young people these days are not receiving the opportunities that there parents and grand parents did. A college degree doesn't guarantee what it used to. Fewer jobs have internship opportunities. Employment is less steady, as is the home buying market. It takes more training at greater expense to get a job that pays a living wage. etc. The peter pan syndrome is just scratching the surface of the issue, and I don't know if we can say its a cause or merely another symptom of the same disease.

Another Response to an online Group

I wrote this in response to a statement I made about faith and obedience.

I admit that obedience can't be completely throne out. It's hard to discount it, for its certainly pleasing to God. But if we think about the kinds of things we can do to please God we get a clearer picture of obedience, which in turn can shine a light on verse like the ones you quoted.

For example: Loving one another, giving, loving your neighbor as yourself, extending grace and forgiveness, sharing the Gospel, healing the sick, taking in the homeless, etc. All these things please God. All these things trace back to loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself, which I'd point out was what Jesus said all the commandments hinged upon. Hence, John 14:21 in context should read, "He who understands loves God utterly and completely, as well as loving others and himself; it is he who loves me."

The gentlest way I can put this is to say that it seems clear to me that God is more interested in our faith than our obedience. But God is working with me to get over my fear of offending people so let me dive into a stronger way of putting it.

There is an obvious connection between the law and our modern understanding of obedience, which is misunderstood and therefore the cause of many disagreements among Christians. Are we talking about being obedient to the law or obedient to God.

If I asked most Christians which is true:
A) you can obey God and not the law, or
B) you can obey the law and not obey God.

Most Christians today would answer B. After all, how can you obey the law of God and disobey God? It's easy. We call these people pharisees. Conversely, it is also possible to obey God and disobey his law. That's why we have Grace in Jesus Christ. Simply put, the entire old testament proves that people suck at obedience. Therefore God used a better way, a new covenant.

I would say that obedience to the law is worshiping what was created instead of the creator. In this way it is no different than worshiping a tree, which is made by God but is not God in itself. We call this idolatry. It doesn't matter what you elevate above God a tree or the principals of Christianity, its still idolatry. Actually to make matters worse what most Christians seek to obey isn't the commandments of God at all but really there own denominations recompilations of the law, which is the same as obeying that which is made by man. That's what Paul was talking about on Mars hill when he said that God doesn't need things made by man to be worshiped, for "in Him we move and breath and have our being."

If it sounds like I'm making too much of this concider listening to "Room of Grace" by John Lynch. I've already mentioned that obedience is connected to pleasing God. Striving to Please God is a dangerous thing to do. Its like imagining God on the other side of a grand canyon called, "your sins and failings," and you decide to try to reach God by feverously knocking dirt into the canyon from your edge. You just get further and further from God. The other option is enter grace and find out that Jesus is standing nect to you, saying, "you sure do have a pile of things to work on, can I help?" If you want to believe option B you will need faith.

And that's why faith is better than obedience.