Thursday, May 15, 2008

unfinished thoughts

I think of much of my posting as consisting of unfinished thoughts. This describes a difference I might have with some good Christians. Sometimes I'm misunderstood as a person who doesn't see black and white. That everything is gray. This is not the case, really. There are plenty of blacks and whites as to what is right and wrong. I also see gray sometimes, only in the complexity of life, of how all this is worked out. But our hearts and the actions that accompany them, while there can be mixed motives involved, do involve black and white, right and wrong issues, always.

Unfinished thoughts consists of grappling with how we're to live out our calling in Jesus. What's all involved in that. Personally, in relation to God, to others and to our calling in this world. How we're to see the big picture. How we're to look at our story in light of the Story of God.

Unfinished thoughts involves a willingness to float out a thought to get other thoughts on it. To maybe change ideas where needed, or refine them.

Sometimes I acknowledge my thinking can be half-baked or worse. This is certainly the case in this life as we only know in part (1 Corinthians 13), so that we need each other in the quest to live godly in Jesus. We do have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2) by the Spirit and the word. Another reason why working through our thoughts is important. Working at taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10).

What might you like to share on this to help us in the unfinished thoughts here?

tomorrow: chapter 2, "Unexplainable" from John Frye's book, Out of Print: A Novel.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ted,
I think that most thoughts are never fully concrete. Even when we think we have something figured out, it shifts... and becomes incomplete again.

good thoughts, even if they are 'unfinished'

paul

Allan R. Bevere said...

Ted:

Good stuff here. While I think most of us acknowledge that our thoughts are unfinished, we (or at least I) do not always proceed consciously as I think and write.

That makes blogging an interesting practice, and suggests why comments from others are important. As all of us bring our unfinished thoughts together, perhaps we move forward together in our thinking, and, more importantly, in our discipleship.

Just some unfinished comments.

Ted M. Gossard said...

Paul,
Yes. We're in process in everything. Of course that doesn't mean that by faith we don't know God's revealed truth to us in Scripture and in Jesus. To those out there who may wonder what I'm saying (I know you're not among those in this, Paul.)

But even those things we're processing as well. More than thoughts is life, but they are important in our lives, to be sure.

Thanks.

Ted M. Gossard said...

Allan,
Yes. This certainly makes for some good potential in helping us together, when it comes to blogging.

I like the friendship, fellowship side of it, and then in that we can share our stories and thinking with each other. And learn from each other.

I have to admit a battle for the mind is going on, and sometimes I seem in the heat of it for whatever reason, and not in the light. That's when I need a clear headed brother or sister to help me. A part of being there for each other.

I'm rambling here with more unfinished thoughts. Thanks for your "unfinished comments"!