Beginning with Tozer

It's day 1 of my journey into "The Attributes of God".   I could have stopped with the first paragraph, Colossians 3:1-3.  Here it is from the Message, with verse 4 added in:

1-2 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.


3-4Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

Well, well there is a wealth to be learned in this passage alone!  Yes, I'm serious about living the life of a follower.  How many times have I been so focus on what is going on "down here", all around me, in my life, and haven't bothered to look up?  It is so easy for my thoughts to be centered on me me me. 

I love this quote from chapter 1:  "The Church will come out of her doldrums when we find out that salvation is not a light bulb only, that it is not an insurance policy against hell only, but that it is a gateway into God and that God is all that we would have and can desire."  I have struggled for 21 years now with this concept, the people that act like they have their heaven ticket in their pocket and life on this earth just goes on businees as usual.  Isn't there supposed to be a difference, that people can see, here and now?  I believe the answer is adamantly YES YES YES!

This chaper goes on to talk about God delighting in his creation, taking pleasure in his work, the topic of singing, and joy.  It ends with the question, "Are you contented with nominal Christianity?"  Well are you?  I have spent periods in my life living nominally.  Actually, I am not sure that is a word, but you get the idea.  the answer to that question, however, is a resounding NO.  I am not satisfied to live that way.  The chapter ends thusly,"If you're not satisfied with nominal Christianity, popular Christianity, and the first beginnings of things and you want to know the Triune God for yourself, read on."  Well that's my plan.  I am asking the Lord to give me an understanding of what this book says as I digest it over the next month or two.  I don't know why I have found it such a difficult read in the past.  I am encouraged by today, however.  I'm "prayerfully confident" (borrowed that awesome phrase from my lovely daughter) that exercising my mental and spiritual muscles this way will be of benefit!

I've used up more than my quota of "blogging time" today.  I must go clean up the mess from making no-bakes for an after school snack.  No bakes are a funny thing.  They are like fudge, I never know if they will turn out OK or not.  Will they be dry and crumbly, will they never set up, or will they be soft and fudgy and melt in your mouth?  It doesn't help that my scrawled recipie, copied hastily from a phone call to my mother-in-law about 20 years ago, says to boil for 30 seconds while stirring.  I remain convinced that I wrote that in error, but what is the mistake?  Should it be 1 minute and 30 seconds?  I have no idea, so I make it up every time!  Now, my mother-in-law lives right next door.  She has a home phone, and a cellular phone, and if I ask her I am sure she can find that same recipie again and set me straight.  Yet I muddle on, experimenting with the boiling time, for 2 decades.  Sometimes I win, sometimes I loose.  I have no idea why I don't ask.  

One of these days I'll have to blog about my home school education dilemma.  That will have to wait for another time, however.  Lest you think I have chickened out on my shooting adventure, the next post will be about that, I promise.  I think I'm going to call my nephew and enlist his help on that one, as well.  He would probably be eager to get a laugh or two teaching something new to his old Aunt D!