Bonhoeffers "Cost of Discipleship"

Today I bought a new book.  For those who know me, this would be of no surprise.  I've been a very avid reader since I was a kid.

this afternoon, I bought a very well known book by Dietrich Bohnhoffer, titled "The Cost of Discipleship."  The version that I have has over 30 pages of introduction, forward and memoir.  Though I am only on page 30-something, I am already getting excited.  Here was a man, even while in prison, who was strove to life his life solely for Christ, no matter the consequences.  In fact, the first chapter of this books is entitled "The Cost of Discipleship."  (I do apologize for any spelling errors...  I'm writing on my laptop without my book in front of me.)

That got me thinking the cost of following Christ.  Jesus Himself said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he myst deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."  (Matthew 16:24)  Honestly, how often do we really reflect on that comment that Jesus made?  How often do we prefer to focus on the other things that Jesus said in the Beatitudes, like:  "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God..." (Luke 6:20) or "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted..." (Matthew 5:4) or other such things?  Though such things are important to reflect upon, it's not the only thing that we need to reflect upon.

When God calls us to follow Him, He calls us to a life of obedience.  How many of the of the prophets of the Old Testament life a comfortable life?  In fact, may of them gave up comfortable lives in order to be obedient to what God called them to be.  The Disciple, Matthew, was a tax collector before Jesus called him to follow.  Being a tax collector meant he was a social outcast with the jewish society, but also that he lived very comfortably.  Yet, when Jesus called him to follow, he gave it all up.

For those of us in American, and many of the other Western nations, we have a very comfortable life compared to those in many of the other countries.  But yet, is being comfortable in life the most important thing?  Though God may enable some to be well off because of their position within a company or because of wise decisions with investing, is that really important?

I will be the first to admit that I really enjoy modern technology and modern conveniences.  Although ministering at two churches was not easy, I thoroughly enjoyed doing it.  But, I have also been deployed to Iraq three times.  Especially during my first deployment, in 2003-04, when we went north into Iraq, I experienced a lot of hardships.  During my last deployment, I missed many of my son's firsts in his life (first steps, first words, etc.).  And, I was not happy at all about missing those firsts and many of the hardships of deployment.

However, during my last deployment, I got to know several Christians who live in the Middle East, who call countries like Iraq, Lebanon, or Pakistan their home.  Listening to the things that they endure on a regular basis put my life into perspective.  Listening to them share their real life experiences, the things they've seen, and reading about people like Dietrich Bohnhoffer....  It really got me thinking, again, about 'costly grace...'  Is following Christ costing you anything?  Then again, at what cost did we receive God's Grace, His "Amazing Grace" upon that cross?

RC

Journey

I believe that all of us are on a journey. From the day of our birth until we breath our last, we are on a journey. But, what is the journey for? Is there a reason for it? Is there a purpose for me being here?

I cannot speak for others, but I can speak for myself. For a long time, I have viewed my life as a journey. Being a person who loves to travel and visit different places, that is a fitting way to view things. Some people view their lives like a book, a movie, or something else. How we view our lives is possibly just as important as how we live it.

The reason why I say that is, how we view our life and the meaning that has for us, does directly influence how we make choices. For example, if one's perspective on life and living is that there is no such thing as god, that there are no eternal consequences for the actions that I make, they that will influence how he or she will make decisions. On the other hand, if a person believes that there is a very harsh and judging god, weighing every single though and deed against some 'perfect standard,' that too will color and influence how that person interprets things and lives his or her life.

The same goes for our moral beliefs. f a person holds the view that there is no divine being that created and gave order to the world around all of us, then he or she is more likely to believe that what's right and what's wrong are simple personal choices. That is, there is no 'absolute standard,' only what 'feels right' to him or her. This world view may or may not care how one's actions affect others, especially those he or she does not like

One of my passions in life is theological reflection. I love to ponder things, my relationship to things, and my relationship with God through Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Another of my passions is to teach, sharing what I've learned with others. There are many other things that I enjoy, including traveling, watching movies, reading and researching, amongst many other things. But theology and teaching are two things that I can really get excited about!

You may be wondering why I choose "Law and Grace." For those who are family with Christian Protestantism and the Bible, those are two major themes. Law, the way that a holy and righteous God has chosen to order the universe and the boundaries that God calls us to live within. Grace, the fact that we are sinful and imperfect beings and holy God still extends His love to us.

Some of my blog entries might focus more on one aspect of God, or the other. Yet, both are there. And, I believe that both have to be there. Without law, how can we know how to live with each other in a way that is just? Without grace, how can we continue t be in relationship with we fail each other?