“And when we get there, we will say, I’ve come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I’ve been looking for all my life, though I never knew it! And it will by no means be the end of our story. In fact, as C.S. Lewis put it, all the adventures we have ever had will end up being only “the cover and the title page.” Finally we will be begin “Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read; which goes on forever; in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Such a story of hope.

Thank you for reading!

“Only if you first seek inner forgiveness will your confrontation be temperate, wise, and gracious. Only when you have lost the need to see the other person hurt will you have any chance of actually bringing about change, reconciliation, and healing. You have to submit to the costly suffering and death of forgiveness if there is going to be any resurrection.”

I love people watching, everyone is so different, it’s pretty cool. This weather blows. Spring, please act like spring, thanks. On that note, I’m out, bye:)

Right now in the book he is talking about morals and the different theories of it’s existence. When I think about, it’s just.. simple. We all know what not to do. You don’t kill people, that’s obviously wrong. Even in other cultures around the world (maybe not all of them) most humans know that killing otheres is not an action you should do. Stealing is not right, and also being rude to your parents is not morally right. I believe that just because we were taught it is wrong to do these things, it isn’t neccesarily the reason why we try not to do them. The mere thought of these actions makes one feel uneasy, like it’s a no brainer not to do it. The deep down feeling that we get is simply human. Or, you can be really trippy and argue that well, what feels right could really be wrong, and what’s wrong can really be the right thing. Yes, everything is uncertain. However, I don’t think this world is that crazy. There is a reason why we have morals. Put in the most crude way possible (purposely), I’m not about to go outside and shoot dead my neighbors annoying dog, simply becuase, you just don’t do that.

“Some say if we were all created in God’s image, then every human being would be sacred and inviolable. Others say human rights come from nature, or what had been called ‘natural law.’ They argue that nature and human nature, if it is examined, will reveal that some kinds of behavior are “fitting” with the way things are, and are right.”

I don’t know the answer, but I think God created our morals and they are just in us. Simply put. You know? We know we should be kind to people, as annoying as they can be sometimes. We just know. And I guess that’s my arguement, as weak as it is, that we know inside ourselves right from wrong by the feelings we get by performing right or wrong actions.

Something that surprised me even was that in Part II, he starts off with a chapter called The Clues of God and talks about the Big Bang Theory. I never thought of it that way. I figured evolution could be a clue to Gods existence, but never did I consider the Big Bang. This opens up a whole new door, a whole new way of seeing things. People (and I have) always considered Christianity and the Big Bang Theory two completely different spectrums, yet they might just be the same thing. Combining the two, realllly makes you wonder.

Francis Collins in his book The Language of God: “We have this very solid conclusion that the universe has an origin, the Big Bang. Fifteen billion years ago, the universe began with an unimaginably bright flash of energy from and infinitesimally small point. That implies that before that, there was nothing. I can’t imagine how nature, in this the universe, could have created itself. And the very fact that the universe had a beginning implies that someone was able to begin it. And it seems to me that had to be outside of nature.”

It’s crazy to think about, really crazy actually. There’s so much we don’t know, and probably won’t know. We were talking about this in my guitar class, haha. We might just never find out. Even if we know the truth, we might not realize we know it because you just never know for sure. Especially when you’re dealing with humans, it’s not possible, or maybe is, just not easy to prove. However, as much as that might be a clue, it always comes down to.. “well, then, if there is a God, who created HIM?” I don’t know, I don’t even think we’re supposed to know that. God isn’t God if he can fit inside our heads. Even if we did know there is no way to know for sure. If you have faith, than you can believe it. He created himself, simply because, he is God, and that’s just that. I wish I could answer that one, or maybe find an answer that’s not corrupt. Yet again, I don’t think it’s necessary to the big picture. It’s easy to lose faith, or indeed never find faith, because we’re toppled over by the little things that are written in the Bible.

“Think of it like this. If you dive into the shallow end of the Biblical pool, where there are many controversies over interpretation, you may get scraped up. But if you dive into the center of the Biblical pool, where there is consensus-about the deity of Christ, his death and resurrection-you will be safe. It is therefore important to consider the Bible’s core claims about who Jesus is and whether he rose from the dead before you reject it for its less central and more controversial teachings.”

Questions like, Why does God allow suffering in the world? How could a loving God send people to hell? Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive? How can there be one true religion? Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God? are few of many. This book is without a doubt completely genius, and actually answers these questions without beating around the bush. It’s one of those books where you have to use a large amount of mental energy to read. I like to read in a quiet room, but places like borders, barnes&nobles or a cafe of sorts are good places as well. The topic of this book is obviously and sadly controversial so if you have any questions about it, want to tell my I’m ridiculous for my beliefs, or are in intrigued, then let me know. I’m open to anything and all thoughts. It’s one of those books that are actually worth reading. Each books means something to each person, so really I suppose every book is worth reading.

I am six chapters into the book already. The way he answers these questions is intelligent and makes complete sense. I recommend that everyone reads it. It’s just a different point of view that I think everyone should be exposed to. If someone recommended I read a book about why God doesn’t exist then I’d probably read it, because I’m open to anything. It wouldn’t change my belief though, considering there are so many reasons, and so much evidence there is a God.

Written in the introduction, it says “Whether you consider yourself a believer or a skeptic, I invite you to seek the same kind of honesty and to grow in an understanding of the nature of your own doubts. The result will exceed anything you can imagine.”

One argues that christianity is a straitjacket, and Keller responds “One of the principles of love-either love for a friend or a romantic love-is that you have to lose independence to attain greater intimacy. If you want the “freedoms” of love-the fulfillment, security, sense of worth that it brings-you must limit your freedom in many ways. You cannot enter a deeper relationship and still make unilateral decisions or allow your friend or lover no say in how you live your life. To experience the joy and freedom of love, you must give up your personal autonomy.”

And my personal favorite, “The Bible says that Jesus came on a rescue mission for creation. He had to pay for our sins so that someday he can end evil and suffering in the world without ending us.”