“All the complexity about life was begging for an explanation.” This is what Miller says is what brought him back to God. He left room for a “big God”. One that could make sense of things, one who understood the complexities and mysteries we cannot fathom. He also realizes a God this big can “stir a certain fright”.
What does Miller’s statement “God is so incredibly other.” mean to you?
Also, Is it possible for Christian leadership to be as wrong about God as Shirley MacLaine’s character in Out on a Limb?
Miller describes an eerie feeling, following his telling God He didn’t exist. Life suddenly felt very temporary, “kept up by breaths and spread atop time”. He realizes that fearing death pits you against creation. And when he expected to experience a sense of freedom, he actually felt very removed from God’s protection.
He also realizes that he has a need for others to define his identity. He memorizes poetry to sound smart, and thus gain the respect and admiration of others.
Can any of us relate to this? What have you done, learned, or tried, with the sole intent of gaining someone else’s admiration?
Next, he puts it together that “I was very concerned with getting other people to say I was good or valuable or important because the thing that was supposed to make me feel this way was gone”.
and “The God of the Bible seemed to be brokenhearted over the separation in our relationship and downright obsessed with mending the tear.”
When it comes to relationships, is there usually something behind the story that’s presented on the surface?
Did this chapter bring up any thoughts about how you think about or talk to God? How you see Him in your life?
3 comments:
Since I will be absent for the discussion of Chapt 3 I'll give it my shot on line. I've had my say about Miller's "shoot from the lip" style so I intend to look for the good stuff.
Saying God doesn't exist, is like saying, I don't exist. Something, somewhere, sometime had to make a beginning. God is more than the great "starter" but God is that. Shirley Mac is not the first to come up with the "I am God," idea. Leonard Bernstein, the great American conductor and composer, has written a long symphony with a soloist who says at the beginning "we praise you God because you created us" and at the conclusion "we created you God, so you should praise us." If God is the small god that Miller is trying to get rid of, then Bernstein is right. We did create the small god, a whole bunch of them. We made him male, capricious, changeable, mean, loving, merciful and judgmental. In our self centered concerns we think we need such a god, but then when the Great God sees beyond our selfish concerns and gives us more or less or other than we think we want, then we question our relationship with God.
We ought to be "fearful" when we hang onto only one aspect of God, especially when we claim that one thing is the true identity of God. Yes, God desires relationship, and yes, God demands "a lamb without spot or blemish," God desires praise and yes, God requires contemplation and study etc. ad infinitum. (I've always wanted to use that Latin phrase and it seems absolutely appropriate here; into infinity.}
If I understand Miller in the car wash, I agree with him. We can only begin to "live" when we loose our fear of dying. When he realizes "my life suddenly seemed temporary" (p. 39) We must join with St. Paul who prefers to be with the Lord, but knows he has a mission on earth.
I hope Miller has something to say in later chapters about what we do with this realization. If God desires relationship "for God so loved the world" then what does this change about how and why we live. I guess I am too much of an anabaptist to claim a faith concept and then not ask "so what?!" To quote Menno "true evangelical faith cannot lie dormant"
I'll see you in two weeks. And I'd be happy to provide the "appetizer" on chapt 4, unless someone else wants it. I think Miller is more of a poet than a scholar and his thoughts on Free Verse reveal this. I like poets because they speak from "intuition" without having to give footnotes or scripture passages. And even when they are wrong, they are forgivable.
This past week was great discusssion! Thanks if you participated and we missed you if you weren't there. I am looking forward to the chapters that are ahead and the discussion that is to accompany it. Rubena, thanks for your wisddom and insights that you bring to the group, I am looking forward to getting to know you better through the gatherings.
Blessings on our week ahead, may we reflect on God, as we interact with our families, friends and neighbors.
Randy
p.s. I guess I have no insight to offer on the book today, just thankful for a group of people to commune with.
this is a completly random question and I know that I am not actually in the discussion. However, I would really like to be. Does anyone know the best way to get a book shipped to Thailand? Would it be best to order it from online?
Post a Comment