27 January 2009

Heaven is not my home

Several of you seemed surprised and intrigued yesterday by the idea that heaven is coming to earth some day and that the Kingdom of God will be embodied here, in this tangible place.  I'm going to try to put together a bible study time on this idea for those who are interested.  Until then (and beyond that), here are some books you might like to check out if you want to learn more:
  • Heaven is Not My Home:Living in the Now of God's Creation by Paul Marshall--Doesn't go into the theological ideas very deeply or academically, but explores examples of how God is redeeming specific areas of life, such as rest, play, work, imagination, learning and more.
  • Heaven is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God by Michael E. Wittmer--A good introduction with well-explained theological ideas, lots of scripture references and pop culture examples.  Includes a discussion guide with questions.
  • Bringing Heaven Down to Earth: Connecting This Life to the Next by Nathan Bierma--Author works at Calvin in the Worship Institute and has taught a DCM course on his book.  Check out the slide shows his students put together illustrating ideas from the book.
  • Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, The Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright: Wright is a friend of Walsh & Keesmaat's and there's definitely a congruity and influence in their ideas.  This relatively new book has been getting rave reviews.  Check out the author on Stephen Colbert.
Heaven has in some ways been hijacked by ideas that have little merit when held up against the arc of scripture.  For myself, understanding that the eternal Kingdom of God will have something to do with the earthly creatures we are now makes it a much more exciting reality.  It also helps balance my sense of urgency ("I need to change the world and experience everything it has to offer NOW!  Before I die!") with a sense of trust and rest ("I can honor my limitations and the call to Sabbath in the hope of eternity on a renewed, restored earth").

GQ Magazine

GQ Magazine is a magazine made for men who want to better themselves in their appearance. In the magazine there are pictures to show off new trends in clothing and accessories. They also have articles explaining why people should wear certain clothing. Some articles are just random and talk about a certain issue or event that has happened. Appearance is key when giving a first impression. Clothing is one of the first things that people look at when they see you. What you wear is key to show who you are and what you stand for. GQ magazine also shows men how to dress themselves for professional occupations, as well as just wearing something causually. What you wear with your clothing such as watches, belts, hats, shoes, is also explained in some of GQ's articles. Most of the clothing in this magazine are particularly expensive, and directed toward people with high income. There are many pictures of models showing off clothing, as well as just random advertisements of different products.

What you wear, or fashion, is important because it expresses who we are and how we present ourselves to other people. Not only for ourselves or for other people, but how we present ourselves in Gods eyes. I don't think that spending alot of money on clothing is a bad thing because if you work really hard and receive alot of money, why not spend it on what we want? However if you are greedy and only care about money and status, and spend tons of money on clothing one week, and throw away clothing the next week to buy other clothes, then to me that is wrong. This would not bring any glory to God and is very selfish. However having alot of money and spending it on useful things to me, isn't a bad thing. People should spend money on what they want as well as what they need because they have worked hard to get all that money, and some people might have inherited alot of money, however the way you percieve money is a big part of determining whether money could be evil.