Who is God? This is the sort of question that will reward you with various reactions…Many will look down on you for asking such a supposedly childish question, however when they are pressed you will find that a fair amount of them will be unable to give you a concrete answer. The fact is that this isn’t a childish question at all, but one of the key questions a believer must understand if he/she is to make any progress in their relationship with God.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1

God as the Creator

The very first two chapters of the Bible introduce God as the Creator of literally everything! He is the ultimate creative Being, who can bring galaxies into existence simply by speaking. Not only is He the creator but He takes pride in His work…after each of the days of creation He would pause to reflect and see that which He has done is good. In this regard we as humans have a special privilege in that we have been created in the image of God! (Gen. 1:26) We have received from God the gift of individuality and creativity, where animals can simply react to their instincts we as humans have the capability of creative and independent thought…Unfortunately we decided to use this independence as a means to rebel against God (Gen. 3:1-24). Thus began the wondrous story of God’s master plan to reconcile mankind through His Son to their former glory in Him, but more on that another time.

The Trinity

This brings us to one of the more confusing aspects of God…the Trinity…If God is God then where does Jesus and the Holy Spirit fit in. The doctrine of the Trinity is not something you will find written out explicitly in the Bible, the doctrine itself was introduced in 325 CE (Anonymous, 2011) to adequately phrase what was already known about the divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Now what exactly does this doctrine teach? There are many different interpretations of this doctrine and the best I can do is to offer you what I have been taught at seminary.

The illustration above tries to illustrate the relationship between the three “faces” of the Godhead.  First of all we learn from scripture that all three “faces” are God, not only the Father as some would claim. There are many verses from scripture that prove this but for the purposes of this article I will quote only one verse for each of the three “faces”:

Father is God

“I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!”

Philippians 1:2

Jesus(Son) is God

“The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.”

John 1:14

Holy Spirit is God

‘Peter said, “Why has Satan made you keep back some of the money from the sale of the property? Why have you lied to the Holy Spirit? The property was yours before you sold it, and even after you sold it, the money was still yours. What made you do such a thing? You didn’t lie to people. You lied to God!”’

Acts 5:3-4

Now comes the confusing part, even though each of the “faces” of God is God we also learn from scripture that they are not merely different “faces” of God but actually each one an individual person. So it would be more accurate to refer to the Persons of the Trinity rather than the “faces”. Here is some proof from scripture for this claim:

Father and Son are separate Persons

“Father, if you will, please don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.”

Luke 22:42

“No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don’t know, and the Son himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows.”

Matthew 24:36

Holy Spirit is a separate Person

“But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us.”

1 Corinthians 12:11

In the illustration I used a triangle to represent the Trinity, although each side of the triangle stands on its own it is only together in unity that it forms the triangle. So it is with the Trinity, each of the Persons of the Trinity are simultaneously one being as well as each being an individual.

The following is a good example of the character and attributes of the Trinity:

(Montgomery, 2011)

For the human mind the Trinity is almost incomprehensible and remains one of the mysteries of God.

Names of God

To keep this article as short as possible I will only insert a few references here.

A list of the Names of God: http://smilegodlovesyou.org/names.html

A video of the Names of God: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5-6gwssX0Y&feature=related

Conclusion

There is so much I can say about who God is, the Gospel of John concludes with: “Jesus did many other things. If they were all written in books, I don’t suppose there would be room enough in the whole world for all the books.” If the earthly life of Jesus could not even be contained in all the books in the world, how can we possibly say all there is to know about God throughout the history of the Earth never mind all eternity. Even if we start to write and keep track of how every Christian experiences and knows God we would never be able to reach an end because God simply continues to reveal new things about Himself every time we delve deeper.

The important thing is that we continue to seek out God, to seek out His heart and to draw closer to His heart and will. Christianity is not the dead mindless religion many makes it out to be, the true Christian does not blindly follow tradition and rules but seeks out God in every situation through the living relationship between that Christian and God.  Yes this does mean that you can hear the voice of God and speak to God, and that’s where scripture comes in. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in our hearts but often are emotions and thoughts are so jumbled that we struggle to recognise God’s voice, that’s when you pick up the Bible and evaluate what you have heard in your heart against what is written in scripture. This will help you to verify whether it was truly God who spoke to you or simply your own thoughts.

I am getting ahead of myself again, the next post in my to do list will be all about the Bible so I will preserve my current train of thought for then.  You are welcome to comment or ask questions.

Shalom

Works Cited

Anonymous. (2011, March 22). The Doctrine of the Trinity. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from Religion Facts: http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs/trinity.htm

Montgomery, T. (2011, March 23). Who is God? Retrieved March 23, 2011, from tedmontgomery.com: http://www.tedmontgomery.com/bblovrvw/WhoIsGod/index.html

Find God – Here’s How to Find God – You Can Know God Now.

So here is some interesting reading on the subject at hand

Grow – All About GOD.

Peace

As I said I will be covering some aspects of drawing closer to God, things I will post about in the coming weeks include:

1. Who is God? ~the basics but you have to know it if you want to get closer to Him~
2. What is the Bible? ~why do we have this book of scriptures?~
3. Speaking to God? ~how?~
4. Hearing God’s voice ~how?~
5. Spending time with God ~all relationships need time~
6. The work of the Holy Spirit ~FIRE!~
7. Finding and striving to fulfill God’s purpose for your life ~where to from here?~

These posts will be nothing more than my personal experience…but this does not mean that I will present you with fluff…each of these posts will be researched to the best of my abilities…but I won’t pretend to be able to write about things which I have not yet experienced myself.

These articles will be unashamedly Christian and if you find this offensive there are many ways that you can leave this site…the X in the top right(the red button for mac users), the x on the tab you are browsing this site in, the back button, the traditional File -> Exit, type in another URL and press enter, Alt+F4 for PC users, Apple Key + W or Apple Key + Q for Mac users, press the power button, rip-out the wall-plug…many many options…but even more than these options you are welcome to stay and read a bit…you won’t die, well at least physically you won’t.

No?

Well whether you do or you don’t I think this article is rather insightful:

Joshua’s long day.

Yield/Toegee

I don’t think there’s anything that can get me to the edge of road rage quicker than someone who ignores a yield sign!!!!

Ok…Why am I on this unyielding spree…?  Well few years back I moved to a different suburb and right on the corner of my block is ‘n four-way crossing…a crossing which consists of two stop signs in a north/south and vice verse direction…then in two yield signs in an east/west and opposite direction.  So you have two stop signs facing each other and two yield signs facing each other perpendicular to the stop signs.

I’ve met maybe two or three other drivers who will use this junction correctly…the rest simply ignore the yield signs and drive straight across.

How does a junction with yield and stop signs work?

First, let’s talk about Right of Way

In the context of a fourway junction right of way is always awarded to the person who a)arrived at the junction first and b)to the person who will continue out of the junction in the same direction which they entered the junction.

This is the basic common sense of right of way, however this is jumbled around by the use of road signs, especially STOP and Yield signs.

STOP always means to come to a complete halt, until it is safe to continue.

Yield is a bit different…Yield literally means that you yield/surrender the right of way you were entitled to if there were no traffic signs present at the junction.  The only exception to this is in the case of the 2way-stop/2way-yield junction(the example we’ve been looking at from the start). If you arrive FIRST at such a junction then you are free to proceed as you wish…but…if you arrive at the same time as one of the cars at a stop sign…YOU WAIT and let the car at the stop sign continue…if you arrive at the same time as a car at the other yield sign, well then you allow the person who will continue in the same direction to proceed first…

Next still before we reach the scenarios…Let’s look at the 2-way and specifically the 2-way-stop/2-way-yield junction

Two-way junctions:

A junction with two STOP signs

• The signs will almost always be in two opposite directions facing each other
• This means that traffic may flow freely in the two directions which are not submitted to a traffic signal
• While the two directions with the STOP signs have to wait until the junction is clear.
• THIS IS A TWO-WAY STOP! This is NOT the way a 2way-stop/2way-yield 4 direction junction functions!

A junction with two yields

• works in exactly the same manner as a 2-way stop
• except that you may continue without stopping if the junction is clear
• (Bear in mind the general rules of right of way if there is another car waiting at the other yield sign)

A junction with one yield and one stop sign…

• If the junction is clear the car moving towards the yield sign may cross without stopping
• If there is a car waiting at the stop sign while you approach the yield sign you have to wait for the car at the stop sign to clear the junction before you continue!
• If you arrive at the yield at the same time as a car at the STOP, you have to wait until that car is gone before you continue
• If you are waiting at the yield and a car APPROACHES the STOP, and you can clear the junction before it reaches the stop…then you may proceed…however if it reaches the STOP and you are still waiting you have to give way to the car at STOP once the junction is clear before you may proceed.

The 2-way-stop/2-way-yield junction

Now that we know how the 2-way junction functions…let’s look at specific scenarios of how my “favourite” junction should be used.

First and easiest scenario(Yield + Clear):

You are driving towards one of the yield signs at the junction and there are NO cars waiting at the other signs…What do you do?

Slow down, and if no cars approach cross without stopping! (I suspect nobody will have an issue with this scenario as this is the normal way in which yield signs are used.

Second Scenario(Yield + Stop):

You are heading towards one of the yield signs and there is a car waiting at one of the stop signs…What do you do?

YOU STOP, and let the car drive through the junction before you proceed!  AND already I hear cries of WHYYYY!?!? And my brain cries out please think about it!  A yield sign means that you surrender right of way to any car that will move across the direction in which you are traveling…Therefore in the context of the fourway junction you have to surrender way to the car which has already stopped and is ready to continue.

If you are already at the yield sign and a car is approaching one of the stop signs…you may proceed without waiting for that car…IF it is your turn to go.

If you arrive at the yield at the same time as someone at one of the STOPs…well bad luck…you have to surrender right of way to the stopper.

Lastly, if you at one of the yield signs for the junction to clear and someone approaches and stops at one of the STOP signs while you are still waiting…guess what…you have surrender way to him even if he only arrived after you did.

Third Scenario(Yield + Yield):

You are heading towards one of the yield signs and a car is waiting at the other yield sign and wants to turn across the direction you are heading in…What do you do?

Surrender right of way! Stop and let the car turn and then you continue, however if you arrive at the yield signs at the same time…then the car continuing in the same direction is awarded right of way.

I have not covered every possibility, but with the information given you should be able to navigate a 2-way-stop/2-way-yield in a correct and legal fashion.

Ethical Demise of the Yield Sign

Explaining why the yield sign is ignored, is not very difficult. We live in an increasingly selfish and individualistic society…where we easily demand that our human rights be respected while we struggle with conceding those same rights to other human beings.  The yield sign means that we step back and even though we have right of way we will surrender it to the other motorist…it is inherently a selfless sign and many self-righteous human beings will struggle with obeying this sign…Or maybe they just don’t know…and you know what they say about ignorance…

It is the bliss of the apathetic, but the bane of the informed.

For more information regarding traffic rules and safety please vist www.arrivealive.co.za.

Peace be your journey

The one thing about depression is that it keeps you focussed on mistakes that you have made in the past. This is where our title line comes in. But first a little context:

The song kicks off with the line, “I woke up in mid-afternoon cause that’s when it all hurts the most.” As someone who struggled with depression for awhile I can confirm that one of the symptoms is that you sleep a lot…sometimes, if I were able, I am sure I would’ve slept a whole day away. The writer hints at something similar but that he could never sleep the days away because he would always be hinder by some or other painful memory.

Here we can begin to understand what the author is trying to say in our title lyric. To me while I was depro-sleeping I would have the most vivid dreams…sometimes I would even desire more to remain in my dream world than to awake to reality. Thus we get the first part,”If dreams are like movies…”

But if dreams are vivid in depression, then depressing memories are even more overwhelming. To the writer memories are just as vivid as dreams but they’re not fiction and tend to remind us of all the mistakes we’ve made. So proceeds the cycle of depression: You get lifted up by hopeful dreams, just to get smashed down by broken memories…

However the most unlikely word bring us the most hope…Memories are films about Ghosts…the reference to ghosts gives me hope and is the word which turns this lyric into one of my favourites of all time. Ghosts obviously refers to death and in this context to events which are done and cannot be changed anymore…no matter how many times you remember, nothing will change…to me this has been the key to dealing with depression in my life. Bad things happened and I have done bad things but these things are dead and are simply shadows or ghosts of who I once was. The moment I realised this I was able to move forward again.

I want to urge you, if you are struggling with depression. Don’t allow the circle to keep you trapped but force yourself to realise what is dead and gone and soon you will see that you are able to reach forward again.

Keep strong ciao

P.s. I do realise that there are many forms of depression. My post simply deals with the effect of emotional depression. If you suspect or know that you suffer from a different type of depression, please do not hesitate to seek out the help of a counsellor. Depression is not a game or a shame, but it is definitely something which should be dealt with earnestly as it destroys many lives daily.

I’m one of those irritating people…you know…the final piece of the puzzle that’s just not cut right…It’s always been this way, since my school days right up to this moment.  I suck entirely at mindless group think…though I love to see a group of people working together…Don’t get me wrong this isn’t another rant against the system…The way of things has always been determined by the majority…Sure we blame the rich, the powerful and even those we placed in positions of power…The truth is there are no conspiracies just people shifting the blame for the mess they find themselves in

High School was interesting…I was entirely selfish, luckily I had some friends who would stick no matter how I mistreated their trust…but I did not fit…sure I could associate with many people but there was never a place of comfort…sure most teenagers feel this way it’s part of the process of self-discovery…but it was something more…I never could adhere blindly to the ideals of an “alpha male”…you know what I mean, the person in the group who everyone wants to be like, the one to imitate, the one to call the shots…yeah that never did sit well with me.  Well High School passed me by and for a brief moment I experienced life without that kind of grouping…Finally you were only left with the people you wanted around you

Sacharine bliss…As now yet again…life has shown me that people are too afraid to stand out…we’re so scared of what people would think…so scared of rejection…that we cut ourselves in order to fit into the picture.  Mind you I am not referring to compromise, but rather to a sort of emotional self-mutilation…and today it even manifests itself in the physical self-mutilation of so many people…Compromise is good, compromise means finding common ground between who we really are…but emotional self-mutilation means I give up pieces of who I am simply to be able to fit…I’m so bad at this…

Before I get lost in my thoughts again I just want to say the following…

Friends from school who are still my friends, you guys rock. You have always just been what you have always just been…maybe one day I’ll be strong enough to say that I can compare myself to anyone of you guys.

Then friends who have become part of my life the past 6 or so years…Many of you are still standing as giants, but many of you have fallen because you are scared of being left behind and alone…honestly all of you are great people, but the past year many of you have lied and given false testimony against me, stabbed me in the back, gossiped and pushed me aside as if I am the one to blame for your consciences eating away at you.

I am tired of people who project their own discomfort because they cannot face up to their true feelings…I am tired of people who blindly follow others because they are scared and even more of those who are to lazy to think for themselves…I am tired of fair weather friends…I am tired of fake smiles hiding poisonous tongues…I am tired of indirect conversations and confrontations…I am tired of people who think life is a game…I am tired of selfish and impotent revolutions…I am tired of people who substitute religion for true belief, PLEASE don’t do something just for the sake of doing it; this doesn’t even impress other people, how would it ever impress God…

And I guess I have to confess, according to this list, I am tired of myself

Have you ever noticed how some people simply insist on using you as a dumping place for their emotions and sometimes misconceptions.  I have someone in my social orbit who enjoys manipulating…subjecting you to emotions and when you do not respond as required you are the one at fault.

This is tied to a notion which I absolutely abhor; that this world and society somehow owes this person…It is a notion which is becoming increasingly popular these days…an obvious symptom of a more and more selfish society.

I feel that it is rather unfair to simply dump our emotions and selfish perceptions on those around us…Something I’ve learned from living in an apartment(i.e. close proximity to others) is that the human race simply cannot function without compromise and empathy.

Instead of expecting people to behave like you would like them to, find the time to appreciate that we are all different.  Some of us have many words some of us have few…Don’t force someone beyond how they were made or you just might find that human beings do break.

So this is me dumping some emotions in cyber space…hopefully planting some perspective.

Cheerio old chaps