This Good Word, Episode 8: Boxes (ShowNotes)
In this episode, I talk about our tendency to put everything in boxes, and to leave them there.Boxes are good. They're our way of putting things where they go, so we know where they are when we need them. But there comes a time when things need to come out of their boxes and go somewhere else. We put God in a box because we need to understand God. It's natural. But when our understanding of God changes, we need a new box. And when we change, or when someone we love (or even don't love) changes, we need to destroy the old box and find a new one. We are growing and becoming. We're not the same person we were ten years ago. Or even yesterday.This podcast is all about that. Enjoy.
Show Notes:
Shout Outs:Brunei Darussalem: No kidding, people from all over the world are listening in. Brunei Darussalem (Arabic for Abode of Peace) is a tiny nation on the island of Borneo, surrounded by Malaysia & the South China Sea. has a population of 417,784, and oh, by the way, it's a Commonwealth. And a few residents are listening to This Good Word. Crazy town.Here's some pics of me with pierced ears. Sweet Lord, my nose looks huge!
God's Name...Exodus 3:13-14: "But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”I am who I am: Hayah-Asher-Hayah (Hebrew). Hayah is a verb, meaning to be, to become, to come to pass, to exist, to happen, or to fall out. Asher is a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number) meaning who, which, what, that.A better translation of "I am what I am" is "I will be what I will be." We need to remember that although God is unchanging, God is also infinite and limitless, so our understanding of God will always expand and grow, rendering God somewhat like a... wait for it ... verb.Paulo Coehlo wrote The Alchemist, along with 29 other books. He always wanted to be a writer, but his parents forbade him to study writing, eventually committing him to a mental institution, from which he escaped three times. He eventually became a successful songwriter to pursue his writing career full time. You can listen to this great interview with Paulo Coehlo on Krista Tippett's podcast, On Being.Aaaaaand - here's a picture of my wedding. Check out that hair. Mama, that's bad.
Mount of Transfiguration:In this utterly odd story, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain, and suddenly, he is dazzlingly white, talking with Elijah and Moses (What? How did they get there? Portkey?), and Peter, James, and John are terrified. Not knowing what else to do, Peter suggests he can build three tabernacles to commemorate this moment. We're always trying to build boxes for what we can't understand.What's Blowing My Mind: Consider picking up Accidental Saints, by Nadia Bolz-Weber. I need regular infusions of grace, so Nadia's books are good for my soul. I slowly read one chapter each morning for the past two weeks, and I loved every story, every rant, and every tender description of Jesus. Click here to buy Accidental Saints. * * *
And If you'd like to read the first two chapters of my new book, Beginnings, please click here. I'd love to hear what you think!If you'd like to pre-order Beginnings (released on January 1st), click here.
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