Glorious Mud

I made a point in a recent sermon  that sometimes we block ourselves from growing in our faith with good theology. I think some people thought it was a strange point and I’d like to explain why I think it is a point worth making. First, to make it clear, theology is not the problem. Having a sound theology is a good thing - it helps clarify our thinking about ourselves and about God. It gives us a framework for understanding who God is, what he has done, and how we take hold of his covenant promises. It gives us a scope of God’s awesome control and nature and our dignity and depravity. All good things. Sound theology is (to quote Paul) “holy and righteous and good,” but sometimes how we use it isn’t. Culturally, we have a very low tolerance for sorrow and negative feelings. We are like the character Joy in the movie Inside Out. We want to draw a little circle around our sad feelings and say, “This is your place, you stay in there. Don’t touch anything.” And the circle we draw i...

So, yesterday, I wrote a blog that lamented my loss of childlike wonder and whimsy.  I proposed that this not only robbed my life of joy but that it also robbed God of glory.  We have a delightful God who delights in delighting us.  I proposed that the fact that we even have a sense of whimsical pleasure is simply an outgrowth of God's creative joy. So, today, a case in point.  Exibit A: the platypus. The Platypus is such an unusual animal that when it was first discovered, scientists assumed it was a hoax.  It simply doesn't make any sense.  Consider these facts about the Platypus: It has the body of an otter, the bill and webbed feet of a duck, and the tail of a beaver. It's a carnivor, but it has no teeth (it feeds off the bottom of lakes and rivers using gravel to grind up its food). It swims gracefully, but the webbing on its feet retract to expose claws for walking on land and digging its burrow. It is a mammal, but it lays eggs (one of ...

So a friend posted a video on facebook that made me smile.  It was an advertisement with a very creative hook.  Essentially, they got people to text different words as they waited for a bus (words like "bored" or "hurry up") and then something funny would happen in response (a circus would show up or a blonde in a sports car would pull up and offer a ride). As I watched the video, I found myself experiencing something that I simply don't experience much anymore.  A childlike experience called "whimsy" - a response of joy in my heart to a playfully creative or humorous experience. Whimsy is what makes a place like Disney Land so attractive to a small child.  Children get lost in the colors, characters, and fantasy of being someplace that is designed simply do delight them.  I still remember the first time I rode the Pirates of the Caribbean - there was so much silliness, so many funny faces, so many details that existed for no other reason than to ...