Remembering a Furry Friend

This blog is supposed to be geared towards my reflections in studying Christian History. In light of the events that have transpired over the weekend, I feel justified in a different task for today. Let me flash back to about two years ago, when our wonderful cat, Ezlo, went missing for a couple of days. He came back to us, almost in one piece, yet his back leg was both broken and dislocated. This was due to some bites from what the vet described as a medium sized dog. So we casted the foot, and left him with a bit of a gimp from the dislocation. We were given orders that he needed to be an indoor cat from now on. Unfortunately, Ezlo would hear none of this, and we were constantly trying to keep him from going outside.

Forward back to our current time. Ezlo had adjusted well for having a dislocated leg; he could still climb over our six foot fence, and he loved to be outside. The other day a similar scenario played out, he went missing for a day or two, and came back hobbling, yet another victim to an attack. This left he lying on my bed for three days. I would put him outside so he could go to the bathroom, but a cat that can't squat because of a dislocated leg is not a very happy cat. He also had lost a lot of weight. It was difficult to see, because he was so fluffy, but once you got past the fur it was obvious that things were looking grim.

Sadly, we had to put down our furry friend Ezlo. I cannot question that it was the right thing to do; he was not doing well, and his outlook was bleak. He couldn't stand with being cooped up in a house, and I'm sure his latest condition would have limited him even more.

I will cherish the joy that Ezlo has brought me and my family. My beautiful daughter Ava loved her "keekee" very much, and truth be known, Ezlo was Andrea's little boy. I am thankful for the past five years I have had to spend with that little furry friend.

Dissension and Politics in Religion

I just got done reading about the several different councils that met during the first 7 centuries of the Early Church under the authority of the Roman Empire. The councils usually met because there was a conflict in theology, specifically in understanding the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. Some argued that God was superior to Jesus, others argued that they were made of the same "stuff" or "substance". These councils were very political in nature, and in many cases, the end resolution was decided in part by the influence of the current reigning Roman Emperor. Once a resolution was reached, it was customary for the winning side to condemn the losing side as anathema, which is a nice word for banished or excommunicated. In many cases, the opinion of the emperor would change, or a new emperor would come to power, and tables would be turned, and those formerly excommunicated would be reinstated. Some, such as Arius, were to be accepted back even after being accused and excommunicated for heresy (his death prevented this from happening). In every instance, the councils built on the work of others, further separating what was the "winner" from the loser. It makes me wonder how much of the outcome of these councils was decided by the influence held on the emperor. It seems that the easiest way in this case to get your position agreed and accepted is to have the emperor be on your side. The politics of lobbying the emperor for credibility in the council had to be at least thought of, if not acted on. The outcome of these councils is far reaching; their decisions have a huge impact on the way we think about the person and savior known as Jesus Christ. If they had turned a different way, we might have a very different perspective on who are Savior is, and what he can do as savior.

Tertullian

Tertullian was one of our early church fathers. He vehemently fought for the Gospel, exposing (in a ridiculing and almost sarcastic way) the distortions of the Gospel that the early Gnostic sect portrayed. Tertullian was well versed, knowing his way around the work of the Apostles, and their contemporaries that followed them. Tertullian was a bold leader, one ready to defend the Gospel at all costs. He was disillusioned by the Early Church leadership, specifically those in Rome, and left the Orthodox Church and defected to a group of puritanists called Montanists. How is it that a man of such intellect, passion, and persuasion can become so disillusioned with the Church structure that he would leave? I think it goes to show that when disagreement gets a foothold in a church body, division is more than likely to occur. So how do we remedy disagreement? Is disagreement something that needs to be remedied? To quote 90s Christian Ska Group, the Orange County Supertones: "If we all love the same God, can we agree to disagree?" Possibly, division may not be necessarily a bad thing. Look at Paul and Barnabus; these pillars of the early church had a logistical disagreement about who should be apart of their traveling party, and the disagreement was so strong that it caused these men to divide and go and work in different directions. I would like to think that the work of the Gospel was not hindered by their division, because the mission of the Gospel remained, and both Paul and Barnabus continued the work they felt they were called to do. I believe that if Paul and Barnabus would have remained together, their disagreement would actually hinder their work. In this case, the only option was for them to go their separate ways. I think it is important in our modern times to sometimes take the way of Paul and Barnabus and choose for amicable division when disagreement arises. Disagreement has the ability to fester in the hearts of men, and bitterness is sure to follow. When disagreement arises in the church body, we should try to sort it out, or part our ways, if nothing more than for the sake of furthering the gospel. To do so otherwise would be to place a direct hinderance on the work of the Gospel.

The Didache

In our class this week, we read a little bit out of the Didache, otherwise known as the Teachings of the Apostles. I was impressed in how clear cut these instructions were; the first six chapters read much like the teachings of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount. In reading these, it is easy for me to understand why the early church was so relentlessly persecuted by their Roman rulers. To live as a Christian in the Roman (and in our Modern) times is so backward, so foreign to the me-first way of living. We are called to give our cloak to those in need... not the old argyle socks and lime green corduroy pants that we wore in the 70s, but the very clothing off of our back. We are called to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. This way of thinking mocks the adage that the strong are the ones who survive. No wonder the Roman government wanted these radicals silenced. Yet here we are... the Roman Republic/Empire has long ceased to be, and we, the Christians are still here. There is something to be said about the staying power of the Christian way of living.

The Early Church Fathers

In this weeks lesson, we are talking about the Early church, or Apostolistic Fathers. These are the guys who were influential in the Early Church post Peter, Paul, and the other Apostles. These include Clement of Rome, Polycarp, and Ignatius, among others. These men, like many of the Apostles, died painful deaths for what they believed in, yet they still had the intent and focus to spread the gospel. Interestingly enough, a large reason why Christianity spread was simply due to the spread of the Roman Empire. As the Empire grew, Christianity grew with it. It is not that cut and dry; the work of the Early Church Fathers was crucial to the growth and knowledge of the Early Church. They were charged with organizing groups and leadership, being arbiters for schisms and strife in local churches, and promoting the truth of the Gospel in the face of distortion and outright lies. For all their work, many were tortured and killed in gratuitous ways. As Christians, we have a firm foundation of self-sacrificing men with a desire to see the gospel spread over the entire known world. It behooves us to carry on their example.

Reflection on Augustine

For this particular reading, I am to reflect on a writing of Augustine, an early church leader:

Augustine’s Confessions, Reading 1

BOOK ONE

In God’s searching presence, Augustine undertakes to plumb the depths of his memory to trace the mysterious pilgrimage of grace that his life has been -- and to praise God for his constant and omnipotent grace. In a mood of sustained prayer, he recalls what he can of his infancy, his learning to speak, and his childhood experiences in school. He concludes with a paean of grateful praise to God.

CHAPTER I

1. “You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is your power, and infinite is your wisdom.” And man desires to praise you, for he is a part of your creation; he bears his mortality about with him and carries the evidence of his sin and the proof that you resist the proud. Still he desires to praise you, this man who is only a small part of your creation. You have prompted him, that he should delight to praise you, for you have made us for yourself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in you. Grant me, O Lord, to know and understand whether first to invoke you or to praise you; whether first to know you or call upon you. But who can invoke you, knowing you not? For he who knows you not may invoke you as another than you are. It may be that we should invoke you in order that we may come to know you. But “how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe without a preacher?” Now, “they shall praise the Lord who seek him,” for “those who seek shall find him,” and, finding him, shall praise him. I will seek you, O Lord, and call upon you. I call upon you, O Lord, in my faith that you have given me, which you have inspired in me through the humanity of your Son, and through the ministry of your preacher.

Outler, Albert, C., Translator and editor. Augustine Confessions. Holiness Data Ministry, Digital Edition, 1999. Abridged and modernized English by Floyd T. Cunningham, 2003. All journaling assignments in this module are from Augustine Confessions and are from this source and are in the public domain.

I think the phrase that stood out most to me in that paragraph was "restless is our hearts until they come to rest in you". You can't speak to any truth more than that! This world is nothing but huge examples of different avenues that people try to find rest in. Money, fame, fortune, power, drugs, sex, all of these things do not provide the rest that comes from knowing God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Just recently, a retired professional football player was picked up for Statutory Rape. This man had it all: fame, fortune, multiple homes, respect, and a legacy that preceded him. He played football before I was even old enough to understand it, yet I know his name, the team he played for, and the things that made him famous. Yet all these things in their earthly brilliance were not enough to give rest to this man's heart. He unfortunately tried to find it in the hands of a young woman whom he "thought was 19". Sadly enough, this is another example of the restless heart of humanity, that as Augustine says, only finds true rest in God through his Son Jesus Christ, our lord and savior.

Welcome Back to Christian Heritage!

Greetings all in the blogging world!

We are back on track to start a new course of study module. This time we will be taking up the History of Christianity, beginning with the early church and going up to the pre-reformation church. I have to admit that history is one of my favorite subjects (not my wife's or my sister in law's) and I am excited about the challenges that wait ahead. I have a deep interest in learning about where we as Christians came from, because it can shed a lot of light on what lies ahead. I am especially interested in the crusade times under the Holy Roman Empire... I might watch Kingdom of Heaven tonight to celebrate. Everwho, this is my prayer for this module:

Lord, I pray that you will reveal your will in my life for the path you want me to take. I pray that in looking at the past, it can shed light on where we have come from, the mistakes we have made, the triumphs and the things we have overcome, and the glorious hope for what the future holds. Bless me indeed during this module.

Jayson - in cursive-like letters.