Love is a funny thing… Not that I would know any thing about
it. ;) This week in class, we learned
about two different kinds of love. Love
that we have for other human beings, and love we SHOULD have for Christ.
Tuesday morning Adam Donyes talked with us about
relationships. It was really interesting
to hear a Godly man’s advice on how to form good relationships; luckily, as a
girl, it’s pretty easy. We are TREASURES. Now, if you’ve ever seen Indiana Jones, you
know that he worked pretty darn hard to find the priceless treasures he was
looking for. Correct me if I’m wrong,
but I don’t think that the Holy Grail was walking around looking for someone to
find it. It was guarded by tons of
different traps and tests to ensure that the right person, worthy of possessing
it, was the discoverer. Like wise, we
should guard our hearts, and allow men to be the ones hunting us. It shouldn’t be easy. They need to work hard to prove their
character and earn our hearts. Lust is a
feeling, but Love is a commitment. Don’t
confuse the two.
Thursday, Andrew Munneke talked to us about Spiritual
Formation in Contemporary Culture. Yeah,
that was intimidating first slide. Don’t
worry, he really broke it down and unpacked each word to help us understand what
he meant.
Spiritual – πνεύμα
(nooma) Among humans, the immaterial aspect of humanity. Also used to describe the third person of the
trinity. The spirit.
Formation –
Morphe – shaped and molded.
Spiritual Formation
– Shaped and molded to the Holy Spirit.
It is the intentional
transformation of the inner person to the character of Christ. It is a conscious decision to be shaped by
God’s Grace.
Culture – Cultra
– Started in agriculture by taking something natural and making better. A cultured person has taken steps to increase
their knowledge. There are different
cultures, called sub-cultures, within cultures.
For instance, I live in Branson.
There are things in Branson that Bransonians find acceptable that most
people outside of Branson would see differently; for example, Mullets. Branson is a sub-culture of the United
States. Within Branson, there is the
Kanakuk Culture, and within that, the Link Year culture. In all of these sub-cultures, different
things are mediated. Culture uses
Language, Images, Artifacts, and Rituals to mediate Meaning, Value, and
Identity. Take a $100 bill for
example. In reality, it is just a tiny
piece of green paper. Our culture tells
us that it represents money, and has a value of 100 dollars. We then find our identity in the fact that we
have a $100 bill.
Culture causes our priorities to change. Instead of desiring a relationship with the
Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, we desire relationships with Boys. Instead of spending time getting to know our
savior, we spend time playing games and gossiping. Instead of using our financial blessings to
help others in need, we spend it on material possessions that will fade
away. We choose not to show the image of
God because we are showing the image of the world. Consumerism is the #1 religion of our world today. We find our hope, joy, and identity in the
products we own. Our satisfaction cannot
be purchased. We will never truly be
satisfied until we can learn to love the Lord our God with all our soul, mind,
and strength. Spiritual Formation is a
choice. But it is more rewarding than anything
this world could ever give you.
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