Free Will & Responsibility

We are responsible human beings, not blind automatons; persons, not puppets. By endowing us with freedom, God relinquished a measure of his own sovereignty and imposed certain limitations upon himself. - Martin Luther King Jr.

If this is true, what does it mean for us and for our understanding of our position before God? If it is true, does it mean that God has chosen to be less than completely sovereign? If it is not true, then do we truly have free will? Is there really a contradiction between the two? I don't think there is a contradiction.

Now, against the sacrilegious and impious darings of reason, we assert both that God knows all things before they come to pass and that we do by our free will whatsoever we know and feel to be done by us only because we will it. - Saint Augustine

In granting free will to people, God made it possible for us to resist, oppose, or ignore His will. This does not mean that God is not any longer omnipotent. It means that God granted us free will in order that we might choose to have a relationship with Him. Think about this: A God that is so great that he cannot in any way limit himself is really not that great.

When I think of greatness, I think of something dynamic that grows ultimately to a point of being ineffable or indescribable. That is how I think of God. Mighty, yet tender. Just, yet merciful. Righteous, yet forgiving. Incomprehensible, yet accommodating. Unknowable, yet relational. Transcendent, yet intimate. Defender of the weak, yet redeemer of the offender. Possessing irrepressible will, yet granting free will. The God I believe in is a God of mysteries that can not be fully understood by the mind of humanity.

All that said, I would like to encourage you to be thoughtful, purposeful, and responsible in your choices and actions. Whether you agree with my view of God and free will or not, we all have a responsibility to fully weigh the effects our our actions. If we don't, the world will descend into utter chaos. Selfishness will only bring about destruction. Selflessness (love) will bring about peace. Grace and peace to you my friends!

Choose Right, Process Effectively

It started out pleasantly enough. Good friends were having a good time. They ate some great food. They began a promising conversation over an intriguing topic. Everything was going really well. There was no reason to sense any danger or peril was anywhere nearby. It was probably not unlike that fateful voyage of the Titanic, nothing to fear on this luxury liner of an evening, what could possibly threaten it?

They say that many icebergs seem unimpressive above the surface, but there is a mass under the surface that many a ship's hull have been torn asunder by. The evening and the friends were as shocked as those passengers when their evening hit its iceberg.

Shock. Fear. Surprise. Reflexive Response. Instinct. Anger. Confusion. They all responded in different ways.

And there was him. He felt like he needed to get his bearings. Respond well, despite the massive damage already done. Make the right decision and avoid needless casualties.

He felt the impulse to use his most profuse implement of response, but words just did not seem right. He could not trust that verbally processing would repair the hull, so he knew he'd need to mentally process more.

A cordial departure and a brisk walk through the dark, rainy, autumn night.

Walking, walking, walking. Thinking. Processing. Venting into the wind. Rebuking the demons. Laughing in the face of irrationality. Clearing his vision. Clearing his mind. Leveling his response. Resisting temptation. Gaining victory. Regaining normal emotional blood pressure.

He neared his point of origin, and was chased by a blessing. The homeless man caught up, asking for some bus fare. They talked. Life. Health. Safety. God. And prayed together. He handed "Oren" some help, then they parted company. He hoped "Oren" would be alright.

It seemed that his mental processing may mean that there will be enough lifeboats for the passengers. Everybody is going to live.

The End.

Experience Hendrix

Brenda and I went to an awesome concert on Friday night at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Essentially, the 'Experience Hendrix' tour was a tribute tour to the music of Jimi Hendrix. And a fine tribute it was.

I'll say that the best tribute is done when those 'paying' tribute remain 100% faithful to their inspiration. In other words, they played ONLY Jimi Hendrix songs. As far as pure musicianship and talent, this is the best show I have ever attended. The stage saw more talent over the course of the 3:10 duration than it probably has in a long time.

What especially stood out to me was (duh!) the guitar talent showcased. Mato Nanji (if you are into pure rock n roll - blues style - Indigenous does not disappoint), Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Buddy Guy were my favorites of the night.

Mato has some serious soul and depth that are difficult to describe (maybe it is because he's Native American), and he plays guitar like it is a part of him!

Jonny Lang is just impressive. He sings and plays ridiculously well! Oh yeah, it is also worth mentioning that this 27 year old has more stage presence than many who are 20, 30, or 40 years older than him (only Buddy Guy overshadowed).

When Kenny Wayne Shepherd played, everyone took notice. If guitar playing translated to power, KWS would be God! (Sorry Eric Clapton) KWS is simply unmatched in power, speed, intensity, and accuracy.

Buddy Guy. At 72 years old, this guy still rocks it right. Not to mention that he has what appears to be a telepathically empowered ability to orchestrate the playing of EVERYONE on stage with him! Despite all the accolades I could give to the other musicians of the night, I have to say Buddy Guy was the ultimate!

I would be remiss if I did not mention the drums of Chris Layton. Wow! So smooth, and tight, and full of punch! I don't normally take notice of the drums, but Chris' playing demanded attention. I have not heard a drummer support a band so well in a long, long time!

Finally, I have to say that ALL of the musicians on stage were great. I was impressed with the playing of Brad Whitford (Aerosmith). Seventy-six year old Hubert Sumlin was equally impressive in his own right. In addition to the aforementioned Chris Layton, the entire rhythm section was great.

Overall, this concert was a rare gem among so much 'ordinary-ness' in the music world. How anyone could find something wrong with this concert is beyond me. That said, some are so miserable that they can find something wrong with anything. As Brenda and I were waiting for the MAX, I overheard someone complain, "I think four guitarists playing Red House is overkill". Come on man, what did you expect?