What God Says on Thanksgiving

"You're welcome!"

Baby

God's solution to the world's problems was to give it a baby.

Think About This

A thought occurred to me this morning. Here it is:

The more powerful you become, the less secure you are.

Thoughts?

Jegshamash!!

I saw Borat on Monday and I thought it was absolutely hilarious! I think I was laughing harder than anyone in the theatre!

But on a serious note (awwwwww), the movie brilliantly exposed how bipolar and entrenched our country really is, and how people really enjoy being this way. People can't stand it when someone comes along and forces them out of their cubby holes. So much self-importance. But honestly, I don't know I would react if I were accosted by someone like Borat, especially if he tried to kiss me.

I understand that Sacha Baron Cohen, while playing the Borat character, got the snot beat out of him on Saturday. Sad.

Bios and Zoe

My knowledge of Greek is a little bit rusty, and I'm not even sure this entry is correct, but this is how I understand these two words that I'm going to write about today. Please feel free to offer correction or comments.

There are two Greek words that translate into "life" in English-- Bios (βιος) and Zoe (ζωη). Even though they translate into the same word, they don't mean the same thing.

Bios is basically biological life-- digestion, blood circulation, secretions-- things that can be examined. Zoe, on the other hand, embraces biological existence, but transcends it in terms of quality. It is the spiritual part of us that participates in the kingdom of God and cannot be reduced to organic terms. It includes those things which we would call heart, soul, spirit, emotions, intuition, love, etc. Zoe is not those things, but it is the qualitative aspect of those things.

When Scripture talks about "eternal life" it uses the word zoe. This means that Scripture does not promise a quality biological existence. We know that our bodies get sick, wounded, and eventually die. What Scripture does promise is a place for the existence of our depth and for the immeasureable dimensions of our being where we are in communion with God. In other words, we are promised a quality inner life through Christ.

This doesn't mean that our inner lives are going to be satisfactory to us all of the time. But it does mean that our entire being is pleasing to God and loved by God. Zoe is not dependent on what we think about it. It is dependent on God's grace and mercy through Christ. Zoe apprehends and comprehends Christ who lives in us, and then is manifested outward in a way that includes our Bios.

What does this all mean? God loves all of you, all of the time! God is not hurt or surprised or shocked or angered by you. God embraces you completely. God loves everything about you, and absolutely nothing will change this!

Election Reflection

So the House is now in Democrat control and the Senate is still up for grabs. Washington is certainly going to look different, consisting of people who ran on the issues of ethics and Iraq. I'm glad to see that D.C. is getting a little facelift, but I hope it's more than just a cosmetic makeover. I want to see real change in how the war is being conducted, especially from the Republicans who began distancing themselves from Bush.

But I remain a skeptic. If the new Congress doesn't deliver on their promises, the Bush administration will take advantage of it. Bush will declare Iraq a big mess and a failure, and then blame the Democrats for the quagmire. In winning last night, the Dems have painted themselves into a corner, so they better have plenty of turpentine with them. Not only should they do everything they can to end this war and bring our troops home, but also encourage and fund creative ways to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. There's been a recent push for coal, but that's just another fossil fuel. We need to find more efficient ways to harness the sun and the wind for the sake of the environment and the Middle East. But all of this remains to be seen, and I will remain skeptical until it's done! I hope my opinion that it's just going to be business as usual will be proven wrong. I won't mind eating crow on this one.

We also need to do everything we can to make all Middle Eastern nations our allies, no matter what kind of government they have in place. I hope we can get beyond political theories and recognize that we are dealing with real people who have real fears and real concerns. We have to stop pushing our weight around the world and sit and listen to what world leaders have to say. And don't just listen to the words-- listen to the person speaking the words. Listen deeply. I think we have the resources to make friends and live in peace with all people.